LOC16:51
13:51 GMT
GENEVA, Feb 13 (KUNA) -- The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on Friday the return of 5.4 million people since October 2023 in Afghanistan, stressing that the massive influx is placing the country under severe humanitarian and economic strain.
Speaking from (Kabul) during a press briefing in Geneva, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan Arafat Jamal noted that the total number of returnees represents around 12 percent of Afghanistan's population, describing it as "the largest number of returns to any single country in the world over the past year."
He explained that 2.9 million Afghans returned in 2025 alone, which constitutes the largest number of returns witnessed to any single country. He added that an additional 150,000 have returned since the beginning of this year, largely from Iran and Pakistan.
Jamal warned that the speed and scale of these returns amount to what he described as a "massive demographic shock" for a country already facing a large humanitarian and human rights situation, particularly as concerns women and girls.
He also added that Afghanistan has a fragile economy and continues to experience recurring natural disasters and drought.
He noted that according to a recent World Bank report, the rapid population growth fueled by the returns is expected to lead to a four-percent decline in GDP per capita and pointed out that more than 90 percent of returnees are living on less than USD five per day.
Jamal reiterated UNHCR's call on neighboring countries to continue to protect and assist Afghan refugees, particularly those at risk; including women, as well as other categories such as former members of the former government, social activists, musicians and athletes.
He confirmed that the agency remains in dialogue with both Pakistan and Iran regarding these categories, urging them to exercise extreme caution when dealing with such cases.
He also warned that UNHCR has received only eight percent of the USD 216 million required to support displaced people and returnees across Afghanistan in 2026, stressing that the dramatic shortfall in international support risks undermining reintegration efforts and long-term stability in the country. (end)
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