UN: 1.4 million Afghans forcibly returned in 2025
In 2025, the UN reported 1.4 million Afghans forcibly returned from neighboring countries, worsening Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis amid shrinking aid.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported that over 1.4 million Afghan migrants—most of them forcibly deported—have returned to Afghanistan since the beginning of 2025. The agency warned that the surge in returnees is significantly straining already fragile humanitarian resources in the country.
In a recent update, UNHCR said that the rising volume of returns is intensifying the need for emergency aid, while at the same time, international humanitarian support is rapidly declining. Many returnees are arriving from neighboring countries, primarily Iran and Pakistan, and face uncertain futures with limited access to shelter, livelihoods, and essential services.
The report states that many of the returnees are in a vulnerable state, often traumatized by forced evictions, detention in harsh conditions, separation from families, and the loss of personal belongings. UNHCR called the situation a “growing humanitarian crisis” and urgently appealed for international support to provide life-saving aid.
The organization highlighted that women and girls are among the most affected, returning to a country where their rights have been increasingly restricted under Taliban rule. Several returnees shared alarming accounts of discrimination, harassment, and rising violence, especially among female-headed households and those from minority backgrounds.
UNHCR further emphasized that the current humanitarian infrastructure in Afghanistan is incapable of absorbing such a large influx. With rising unemployment, a fragile economy, and the continued effects of climate disasters such as floods and droughts, many returnees are now struggling to survive.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that over 10 million Afghans face severe hunger this summer due to a sharp drop in international aid. In its latest statement, WFP said it can only assist 1 million people because of major funding shortages, leaving millions without life-saving food support.
WFP emphasized that food assistance will be prioritized in areas hardest hit by poverty, droughts, floods, and other climate-related disasters. The agency urged the global community to act quickly, warning that food insecurity in Afghanistan is worsening and could reach critical levels if funding is not restored.
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