UN Women: Only 17 Percent of Returning Migrant Women in Afghanistan Can Earn Income

A UN Women report states that only 17 percent of migrant women returning to Afghanistan are able to earn an income, with less than one in every five able to do so.

The study, titled "After Return: Rebuilding Afghan Women's Livelihoods," is based on telephone surveys, interviews, focus groups and workshops involving 700 returning women and stakeholders in Herat, Nangarhar and Kabul provinces.

Nearly 40 percent of these women have professional, technical or digital skills but cannot use them due to a lack of job opportunities. Main barriers include employment and mobility restrictions, limited capital or tools — affecting more than 75 percent — and weak markets. More than 75 percent of women who previously worked in Iran and about two-thirds of those who worked in Pakistan are now unemployed after returning.

Since 2023, more than 5.5 million migrants have returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan. Women and girls constitute more than 25 percent of returnees from Iran and nearly 50 percent from Pakistan in 2025, with numbers expected to rise from Iran amid the Middle East conflict.

The report warns of heightened risks of food insecurity among these women and calls for targeted investments in livelihoods such as small-scale livestock rearing, food processing and sewing.

Susan Ferguson, UN Women Special Representative in Afghanistan, emphasized the need for women's economic participation, stating that returnee women face significant challenges in rebuilding their livelihoods amid collapsed job markets and restrictions.