Afghanistan healthcare collapse — escalating facility closures, major funding shortfall, and rising disease outbreaks

Afghanistan’s healthcare system continued its sharp deterioration through 2025, driven by major donor aid cuts and Taliban restrictions, resulting in the closure of 422 health facilities by year-end and cutting off primary care to 3 million people. Earlier in March 2025, WHO reported 167 facilities closed as of March 4, affecting 1.6 million across 25 provinces, with 80% of WHO-supported facilities at risk of shutdown by June, potentially impacting an additional 1.8 million; northern, western, and northeastern regions saw over a third of centers shut. Outbreaks escalated with over 16,000 suspected measles cases and 111 deaths in early 2025, amid critically low immunization (51% first measles dose, 37% second), alongside malaria, dengue, polio, and Crimean-Congo fever; mental health crises affected half the population, with 2 million seeking treatment in 2025. Humanitarian needs surged to 22-23.7 million people requiring aid in 2025, disproportionately impacting women and girls due to Taliban bans on education, employment, and movement, exacerbating workforce shortages and access barriers. Over 300 nutrition points closed, leaving 1.1 million children without services and 1.7 million at risk of death; funding covered only 31% of UN plans by late 2024, with further shortfalls stretching responses. Record 2.6 million refugee returns in 2025 overwhelmed fragile systems.