KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – More than 10 million citizens of Afghanistan have been forcibly displaced due to war, persecution, and humanitarian crises, the UN refugee agency said in a new report released Thursday.
The UNHCR ranks Afghanistan among the top three countries for displacement globally, behind only Sudan and Syria.
The report says that the global number of forcibly displaced people reached 123.2 million by the end of 2024, up by two million compared to the previous year. Of those, 73.5 million remain displaced within their own countries.
However, the agency noted a slight decrease in early 2025, estimating the number dropped to 122.1 million by the end of April.
“We are living in a time of intense volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Grandi called on world leaders to “redouble efforts” to find peace and long-term solutions for displaced communities.
Afghanistan has long faced high levels of displacement, driven by decades of conflict, natural disasters, and widespread poverty. The Taliban’s return to power nearly four years ago, combined with recent natural disasters, has worsened the situation.
The UN estimates nearly 23 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance this year. Human rights abuses, especially restrictions on women and girls, remain widespread.
Adding to the crisis are mass deportations from neighboring countries. Since October 2023, more than 1 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan. Over 1.3 million returned from Iran in 2024 — about 70% through forced deportation, according to the UN.
