The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports a surge of over 1.4 million returnees to Afghanistan in 2025, posing a significant challenge to humanitarian efforts in a nation already grappling with a mounting crisis. The majority of returnees are repatriating from Iran and Pakistan, as stipulated by UNHCR’s Afghanistan Representative Arafat Jamal. According to a recent briefing, the sheer scale and speed of these returns are stretching the agency’s support systems perilously thin. Existing frameworks are buckling under both increased daily arrivals and a stark funding shortfall.
The situation is particularly acute along the border with Iran, which has seen a notable spike in migrant returns since mid-June. On July 1, more than 43,000 Afghans returned from Iran—nine times the average daily return rates recorded from January to June. Pakistan has similarly experienced a significant uptick, with 150,000 returnees recorded in April alone following intensified deportation pressures. UNHCR has voiced concerns that many of these repatriations occur under coercive measures.
In response, UNHCR has deployed emergency assistance teams to strategic points like Islam Qala in Herat Province, offering critical aid in the form of essentials, hot meals, and cash assistance. But without urgent financial support, these relief efforts may soon become untenable. Funding gaps remain stark, with only 28% of the necessary $216 million available to adequately respond to the escalating needs as highlighted in Jamal’s recent comments.
Pressure from neighboring states has compounded the plight of returnees. Since 2023, Pakistan has proclaimed intentions to expel over one million undocumented Afghan nationals, a policy affecting many who originally escaped Taliban oppression. Human Rights Watch has documented ongoing deportations, which disproportionately affect women, children, and others vulnerable to retaliation under Taliban rule, as described in their report.
Upon returning, Afghans face a host of dire conditions including severe restrictions on women’s rights, widespread poverty, and a precarious economic landscape. Women and girls, in particular, remain especially vulnerable under the current Taliban-led regime, as corroborated by a UN Women report. The returnees’ difficulties are compounded by these acute challenges, emphasizing the urgent need for international engagement and relief aid.