More than six million Afghans return from Pakistan and Iran since September 2023

More than six million Afghans have returned from Pakistan and Iran since September 2023. This figure includes more than 750,000 returns that have occurred in 2026 alone. The large number of returns has created immense pressure on services in the country.

UNHCR Representative Arafat Jamal provided these details at a press conference in Kabul. He emphasized the scale of the returns and their impact on local resources and infrastructure.

The United Nations refugee agency requires 216.4 million dollars to carry out its operations in Afghanistan throughout 2026. However, only 56.7 million dollars had been received as of May 31, 2026. This leaves a substantial funding gap for the agency's planned activities.

In the previous year, UNHCR and its partners assisted more than two million people across Afghanistan. The organization is now launching a new legal identity initiative in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund. This initiative aims to issue up to 1.5 million civil documents over a period of three years to help returnees and other vulnerable groups.