UNHCR: Return of 5.4 Million Afghan Refugees Has Brought Afghanistan to Brink of Collapse

KABUL — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that the widespread return of Afghan migrants from Pakistan and Iran has pushed Afghanistan to the brink of collapse.

Arafat Jamal, UNHCR Representative in Afghanistan, said during a press conference on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, that 5.4 million people have returned to Afghanistan since October 2023, with the majority coming from Pakistan and Iran.

According to UNHCR, 2.9 million returned in the past year alone, marking the largest number of returns to any single country in recent years. Pakistan initiated the expulsion of undocumented migrants in October 2023, while Iran simultaneously intensified its enforcement against migrants.

In the first 1.5 months of this year, an additional 150,000 people returned, UNHCR reported.

The agency noted that this influx, equivalent to 12 percent of Afghanistan's population, has placed severe pressure on the country's limited resources, which were already strained by a humanitarian crisis, weak economy, severe drought, and the aftermath of devastating earthquakes.

UNHCR warned that the sustainability of these returns is a serious concern. Officials from the agency stated that some returnees intend to leave Afghanistan again, and others have already departed after returning.

International organizations have expressed concerns about Afghanistan's capacity to absorb and integrate this large population.