Health in Afghanistan

Health in Afghanistan remains poor but steadily improving.^[1] It has been negatively affected by the nation's environmental issues and the decades of war since 1978.^[2] The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) oversees all matters concerning the health of the country's residents. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative finds that Afghanistan is fulfilling 72.5% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income.^[3]

Afghanistan is generally considered a poor and least developed country.^[4][5][6] From 2001 to 2021, Afghanistan experienced improvements in health, with life expectancy increasing from 56 to 64 years.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} Maternal mortality rate was reduced by half,^[7] with the rate estimated at 638 deaths/100,000 live births and its infant mortality rate estimated at 106 per 1,000 live births in 2021.^[12][8] Nearly 90% of residents living in cities had access to clean water in 2021, compared to 16% in 2001.^[7] Afghanistan is one of the only two remaining countries that has not eradicated polio.^[13] Around 16,000 people die annually from various forms of cancer.^[14] Around 1,000 or more die in traffic collision each year.^[15][16] Around 380 children die from measles.^[17]