What's going on in Afghanistan? · Refugee Week 2025
Since the Taliban regained full control in August 2021, Afghanistan has experienced one of the most severe and enduring refugee crises in decades. By the end of 2023, around 6.4 million Afghans were recorded as refugees abroad (primarily in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan), while another 10.9 million were internally displaced within the country. Inside Afghanistan, an estimated 23.7 million people, more than half the population, now require humanitarian and protection assistance, with women and children suffering disproportionately.
The crisis is driven by overlapping factors: decades of conflict, mounting economic collapse, repeated natural disasters (including floods, droughts, and earthquakes), and Taliban-imposed restrictions that severely curtail women’s rights, education, and freedom of movement. Acute food insecurity affects roughly 28% of the population, which is about 12.4 million people.
In neighbouring Pakistan and Iran, which host some 7.7 million displaced Afghans, pressure on public services has intensified. Recent government crackdowns in Pakistan resulted in hundreds of thousands of Afghans being deported or coerced into return. Amnesty International denounces such forced returns as unlawful and dangerous, highlighting reports of violence, ill-treatment, and pushbacks that violate fundamental refugee protections.
UNHCR maintains a non-return advisory, stating that return must be voluntary, safe, and dignified. However, many returns are being driven by coercion, with tens of thousands occurring each month in 2024.
The international response includes emergency shelter, food, clean water, cash grants, protection monitoring, and efforts to strengthen community resilience. UNHCR aims to assist 110,000 returnees with cash support and training, and is working to expand resettlement pathways in third countries. However, chronic funding gaps remain, with only 25 to 36% of the $3 billion needed in 2023 raised.
This complex humanitarian emergency demands sustained global support, meaningful refugee protection, and fair responsibility-sharing by host nations and international donors.
Here are the key statistics as reported from Amnesty International and UNHCR:
51% of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers are women and girls (2025)
51% are children, making up half of those displaced
Over 97% of the population now lives in poverty following Taliban policies
In 2023, only 3,300 refugees were resettled globally from Afghanistan, despite 9,600 submissions
Around 6,000 more Afghans found safety through alternative pathways, such as family reunification or scholarships.
Sources
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-asia/afghanistan/report-afghanistan/
https://reporting.unhcr.org/operational/situations/afghanistan-situation