Afghanistan Tops List of Most Neglected Crises as Funding Plummets, NRC Warns

Afghanistan has been ranked among the world’s most neglected humanitarian emergencies for the first time, according to a new report by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which warns that international funding is drying up just as needs soar due to mass refugee returns and deepening economic collapse.

In its annual Neglected Displacement Crises report, released Wednesday, the NRC placed Afghanistan on the list for the first time since it began tracking the gap between humanitarian needs and global attention. The council stressed that while 21.9 million Afghans more than half the population remain dependent on emergency aid, the country is receiving a fraction of the financial support required to sustain even basic life-saving operations.

“Afghanistan is not just a crisis it is a slow-motion catastrophe that the world is choosing to ignore,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the NRC. “The sharp decline in funding comes as millions of returning Afghans arrive to a country already hollowed out by poverty and drought. If donors do not step up now, we will see millions more pushed into hunger and despair before the year is out.”

U.S. Pullback Deepens Shortfall

The NRC attributed the steep drop in humanitarian financing largely to the cessation of U.S. government support, which had previously been one of the largest single sources of aid for Afghanistan. The end of that funding has forced international and local aid agencies to shutter or drastically reduce food distribution, primary healthcare clinics, emergency shelters, and clean-water programs across dozens of provinces.

“We are making impossible choices every day feeding children or treating the sick, repairing wells or paying staff,” said an NRC field coordinator in Kabul, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Every cut translates into families going without meals or sleeping in the open.”

Returns from Iran and Pakistan Exacerbate Strain

The funding crunch coincides with a massive wave of Afghan refugees being deported or repatriated from neighboring Iran and Pakistan, where authorities have intensified crackdowns on undocumented migrants. Since late 2023, over 1.5 million Afghans have returned to the country, many arriving with little more than clothes and no means of supporting themselves.

Aid agencies on the ground report that border crossings are overwhelmed, with returnees many of whom had lived abroad for decades finding destroyed homes, absent job opportunities, and communities already stretched to the breaking point. The influx has sharply increased demand for temporary housing, maternal healthcare, mental health support, and child protection services, all of which are now critically underfunded.

Economic Fallout and World Bank Warning

The World Bank has echoed these concerns, warning in a recent assessment that the return of millions of Afghans is compounding an already fragile economy. Per-capita income continues to decline, unemployment is rising across both urban and rural areas, and public services from electricity to education are buckling under the weight of increased demand. The bank noted that weak private-sector investment and severely limited international financing continue to block any meaningful recovery, leaving Afghanistan trapped in a cycle of impoverishment.

A Larger Emergency Largely Forgotten

The United Nations has repeatedly classified Afghanistan as one of the world’s largest humanitarian emergencies, alongside Syria, Yemen, and Sudan. Yet U.N. agencies now warn that persistent funding shortages are forcing them to scale back or terminate life-saving programs precisely when they are needed most. Food insecurity is spreading, with the World Food Programme reporting that nearly 40% of households are experiencing crisis-level hunger. Meanwhile, climate shocks including prolonged droughts and flash floods have devastated agricultural livelihoods in rural provinces that were once self-sufficient.

Outlook: A Dangerous Precedent

The NRC’s inclusion of Afghanistan on its neglect list is a sobering benchmark, but advocates fear it may not be enough to reverse the downward trend. With global attention consumed by conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan, Afghanistan has slipped from the headlines and, with it, from the conscience of major donors.

“Neglect is not an accident; it is a choice,” Egeland added. “We are watching a country disintegrate in slow motion, and the world is looking away. The cost of inaction will be measured in lives lost, futures destroyed, and a generation of Afghan children who grow up knowing only hunger and exile.”

The NRC urged donor countries to urgently restore and increase funding, warning that without immediate intervention, Afghanistan’s humanitarian system could face total collapse within months with consequences that will ripple far beyond its borders.

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