Countries: Afghanistan, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Pakistan Source: UN Children's Fund Please refer to the attached file. HighlightsIn 2025, more than 50 per cent of the population, nearly 23 million people, require humanitarian assistance, including 12 million children.Political developments in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran have contributed to a returnee crisis in Afghanistan, which peaked in the second half of the year. A total of 714,572 Afghan migrants returned from Iran between 1 January and 29 June 2025. Of the total returnees recorded during this period, 99 per cent were undocumented and 70 per cent were forcibly returned.From January to June 2025, over 19 million people accessed essential health services through UNICEF-supported facilities and mobile teams.In the first half of the year, more than 9.5 million children were screened for wasting, with 274,781 children (58 per cent girls) admitted for outpatient care and 23,152 for inpatient treatment.During the first half of the year, UNICEF reached over 730,000 children and caregivers with child protection prevention, risk mitigation, and response services (59 per cent children).Situation in numbers22.9 M People in need of humanitarian assistance (HNRP 2025)12 M Children in need of humanitarian assistance (HNRP 2025)857,000 Children under 5 expected to need treatment for severe acute malnutrition (HNRP 2025)14.3 M People in need of humanitarian health assistance (HNRP 2025).Funding Overview and PartnershipsUNICEF Afghanistan expresses its sincere gratitude to all public and private sector donors for the contributions received. As of 30 June 2025, the Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal for 2025, requiring an overall budget of USD 1.2 billion, is 51 per cent funded. UNICEF is grateful to the People’s Republic of China and the Central Emergency Relief Fund (CERF), as well as UNICEF’s extensive family of National Committees, for new contributions awarded in June. Furthermore, UNICEF extends its special appreciation to Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the family of National Committees for UNICEF, as well as private sector partners, for contributing flexible resources, which continuously enable UNICEF to respond to sudden and underfunded needs.UNICEF Afghanistan deeply appreciates the continued support by donors to the response in the country. Throughout 2025, with both humanitarian and basic human needs at dire levels, our unwavering shared commitment to the people of Afghanistan will be crucial to alleviate acute suffering and to reduce preventable deaths, particularly among children and women.Situation Overview & Humanitarian NeedsPeople in Afghanistan continue to face a severe humanitarian crisis defined by decades of conflict, entrenched poverty, climate-induced shocks, large population growth and increasing protection risks, especially for women and girls. In 2025, more than 50 per cent of the population - some 23 million people - require humanitarian assistance. This assistance is rapidly decreasing.Political developments in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran have contributed to a returnee crisis in Afghanistan, which peaked in the second half of the year. A total of 714,572 Afghan migrants returned from Iran between 1 January and 29 June 2025 with over 256,000 people arriving in June alone. Of the total returnees recorded during this period, 99 per cent were undocumented and 70 per cent were forcibly returned. A growing concern is the rise in families being deported, marking a shift from previous months when most returnees were single young men. The unprecedented surge in undocumented Afghan migrants returning from Iran is putting additional pressure on already strained basic services. This record movement pushed border resources to the brink, while critical funding gaps hindered the ability of Partners to respond.During the projection period (May to October 2025), which coincides with the harvest season in Afghanistan, an estimated 9.52 million people (21 percent of the population) are classified in IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse). This includes 1.6 million people (4% of the total population) classified in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and around 7.93 million (17 percent of the total population) classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis). The year-on-year improvements are mainly due to the compounded benefits of an improved macro-economic situation, reduced conflict and the aggregate humanitarian food assistance and emergency agricultural support provided2 . Afghanistan is also facing one of the most urgent but under-addressed child nutrition crises in the world. As of 2025, 3.5 million young children suffer from wasting, of which 1.4 million are at higher risk of mortality. Surprisingly, over 85% of these children are younger than 2 years of age 3.Afghanistan remains highly susceptible to epidemic-prone diseases, with surveillance data from January to June 2025 showing a persistently high burden of communicable illnesses across the country. Acute watery diarrhoea with dehydration continues to spread, with 73,570 cases and 12 associated deaths reported during the first half of the year. Children under five accounted for 58.4 per cent of these cases. The highest incidence was reported from Nimroz, Khost, Paktya, Farah, and Kabul provinces, highlighting continued challenges in access to safe water and sanitation services. Measles also posed a significant health risk, with 74,881 suspected cases and 357 associated deaths, the majority among children under five (78.7 per cent). The provinces most affected by measles included Helmand, Nuristan, Badakhshan, Jawzjan, and Uruzgan. Acute respiratory infections and pneumonia were widespread during the first half of the year, with 824,009 cases reported and treated. A total of 948 disease alerts were recorded during this period, with measles accounting for more than 49 per cent, followed by acute watery diarrhoea, respiratory infections, and other diseases such as dengue, pertussis, chickenpox, scabies, and Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever. These trends reflect a high level of vulnerability caused by weak routine immunization, poor water and sanitation conditions, and limited health service capacity, particularly affecting children in high-risk provinces among other challenges.