Health in Afghanistan

Health in Afghanistan remains poor but steadily improving. It has been negatively affected by the nation's environmental issues and the decades of war since 1978. 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.

Afghanistan is generally considered a poor and least developed country. From 2001 to 2021, Afghanistan experienced improvements in health, with life expectancy increasing from 56 to 64 years. Maternal mortality rate was reduced by half, 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. Nearly 90% of residents living in cities had access to clean water in 2021, compared to 16% in 2001. Afghanistan is one of the only two remaining countries that has not eradicated polio. Around 16,000 people die annually from various forms of cancer. Around 1,000 or more die in traffic collision each year. Around 380 children die from measles.