Locations
Fragile Gains, Deepening Subsistence Insecurity (2023–2024)
A new UNDP report shows Afghanistan’s stabilizing but fragile economy is not generating the growth necessary to meet people’s basic needs. Despite modest GDP growth, the country’s trade deficit has widened, local production has stalled, and job creation remains weak. Three-quarters of Afghans are now subsistence-insecure, with women, rural communities, and displaced people hit the hardest. Household income and consumption has fallen and people are highly vulnerable to shocks as a result. The report warns that with hundreds of thousands of returnees expected this year and international support declining, communities will face even greater challenges in the coming year. UNDP stresses the need for urgent, long-term solutions, including lifting the restrictions on women to help drive economic recovery and build resilience.
Learn more
- Of the three dimensions measured for subsistence insecurity, living conditions (37 percent) and livelihoods (37 percent) were the main contributors in 2024, with health contributing 26 percent.
- The proportion of women who need healthcare increased from 82 percent in 2022 to 93 percent in 2024 while the proportion of women who are unable to access healthcare increased from 15 percent to 24 percent during the same period.
- The proportion of households reporting that all areas are “safe” for women and girls declined from 72 percent in 2022 to 56 percent in 2024.
- Household employment held by working age female members of households stagnated at 6-7 percent compared to 83-84 percent for male members.
- The share of female-headed households looking for daily-labor opportunities increased from 61 percent in 2022 to 70 percent in 2024 and those opting for home-based productive activities rose from 29 percent to 50 percent during the same period.
- 90 percent of households experienced an economic shock in 2024, an increase of 35 percentage points on 2023 (65 percent of households).
Download the report
Infographics
