Afghanistan Five Years After the Taliban Takeover: Humanitarian Collapse and Women’s Rights Crisis

Five years after the Taliban seized Kabul in 2021, Afghanistan faces a compounded humanitarian emergency, a shrinking economy, and a systematic rollback of women’s rights. Nearly half of the population now requires aid, and basic services are eroding rapidly.

The Guardian

The Taliban’s return halted most international assistance and cut state finances. The 2023 budget was $2.44 billion, less than half the $6 billion budget of the previous government. Trade deficits widened as imports outpaced exports, and the public pension system was abolished in 2024 to ease fiscal pressure.

The Guardian

• Humanitarian need: 21.9 million people (?45 % of the population) will need assistance in 2026; 11.6 million are children, including 3.5 million under-fives with acute malnutrition.

The Guardian

• Economic pressure: Inflation rose from 3.6 % in 2025 to 7.6 % by March 2026, driven by food price spikes.

The Guardian

• Employment: Unemployment has almost doubled since 2021, with more than 500,000 jobs lost (UN).

The Guardian

• Health services: Over 440 health clinics closed or reduced services between 2024-2025, raising the share of Afghans without healthcare access from 16 % to 23 %.

The Guardian

• Food aid shortfall: The World Food Programme turned away three-quarters of acutely malnourished children seeking assistance because of funding gaps.

The Guardian

Since 2021, the Taliban have barred girls from secondary schools, excluded women from most public-sector jobs, and cut women’s labour-force participation from roughly one-in-six to one-in-twenty. Female journalists and midwives have been forced out of their professions, and the UN estimates gender exclusion costs the economy at least $84 million annually. Child marriage has surged, exposing girls to early pregnancy, violence and limited educational prospects.

The Guardian

International Organization for Migration chief Mihyung Park warned that the influx of nearly 6 million returnees from Iran and Pakistan since 2023, with another 2.7 million expected between May and December 2026, strains housing, jobs and health services beyond capacity.

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The United States halted its $3 billion humanitarian programme in January 2025, removing roughly 45 % of external aid. Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates have extended diplomatic recognition to the Taliban-led administration, drawing criticism from human-rights organisations.

The Guardian

Forced repatriations have intensified border tensions with Pakistan, where accusations of Taliban harbouring Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants have led to armed clashes and repeated border closures that disrupt trade. Despite internal crises, the Taliban have secured a military-cooperation pact with Russia and diplomatic representation from China and the UAE.

The Guardian

The International Organization for Migration projects another 2.7 million Afghan returnees between May and December 2026, further pressuring overstretched public services. Diplomatic talks with the European Union continue, while human-rights groups call for conditional engagement tied to measurable improvements in women’s rights.

The Guardian

• “Five years after the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan is experiencing the world’s worst women’s rights crisis, one of the worst human rights crises and one of the worst humanitarian crises,” — Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch

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• “Millions of girls have grown up knowing only exclusion instead of opportunity,” — Zarifa Ghafari, former mayor of Maidan Shahr

The Guardian