The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) launched a $1.71 billion humanitarian needs and response plan for Afghanistan in 2026 on Tuesday, and the crisis is expected to remain one of the world's largest humanitarian crises next year.

In 2026, an estimated 21.9 million people will require humanitarian assistance, a 4 percent decrease from 2025. OCHA projects that 17.4 million people will face acute food insecurity, including 4.7 million in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency).

The office said that UN humanitarian partners will prioritize 17.5 million people for assistance in 2026, around 80 percent of those in need, through a coordinated response costing $1.71 billion. Assistance will focus on life-saving and protective interventions, including food, shelter, healthcare, nutrition, safe water, hygiene and multipurpose cash support.

With needs remaining among the highest globally in a non-conflict setting, humanitarian conditions in Afghanistan continue to be driven by deep structural vulnerability, worsening food insecurity, and recurrent shocks, including climate-driven drought, large-scale returnee inflows, frequent earthquakes and floods, multiple disease outbreaks, and severe protection risks, especially for women and girls, the office said.

Mass cross-border returns further compound needs: more than 2.61 million Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025 alone, placing significant pressure on host communities, basic services, and livelihoods, according to the OCHA.