Afghanistan

The people of Afghanistan continue to grapple with a protracted humanitarian crisis. Almost 23 million people will need humanitarian aid in 2025 due to economic collapse, widespread hunger, climate disasters and severe rights restrictions imposed especially on women and girls. Some 1.3 million returning refugees, mainly from Iran and Pakistan, also need assistance as they resettle in Afghanistan.

Adding to the crisis, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake occurred on 31 August 2025, with the epicentre near the city of Jalalabad, affecting hundreds of thousands of people. Access to affected villages has been obstructed by the remoteness of the area and roads blocked by debris and landslides.

Across Afghanistan, millions of women have little or no access to healthcare, and the country remains one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth, with high rates of women dying during pregnancy, childbirth or its aftermath. An estimated 24,000 women who give birth each month in hard-to-reach areas face particular challenges accessing hospitals or health facilities, and vital protection services for women and girls at risk of gender-based violence are also extremely limited. 

UNFPA’s work in Afghanistan focuses on providing life-saving reproductive health services and psychosocial support to women, by women, through hundreds of facilities in all 34 provinces. Working with national partners, UNFPA also supports family health houses, which are staffed by community midwives who support safe births in remote areas, as well as mobile health teams who screen mothers, pregnant women and children for malnutrition and provide maternal and child healthcare. In addition, UNFPA-supported psychosocial counselling centres in provincial and district-level government hospitals provide free, confidential physical and mental health support for women and girls.

Updated 3 September 2025