OMM Redaksiyası
According to the United Nations and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 1,228,920 people have returned to Afghanistan from neighboring Iran and Pakistan so far in 2026. More than 500,000 of them were deported.
Figures published by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) show that about 705,400 people returned from Pakistan and 522,200 from Iran. A further 1,320 came from other countries.
More than 500,000 people deported
The data show that 506,410 Afghans were deported and sent to Afghanistan in 2026. About 439,000 were returned from Iran and 66,100 from Pakistan. A smaller number were deported from Tajikistan.
UNHCR said the overall return figure covers Afghans in different categories and does not represent only registered refugees. The agency said it includes deportations, returns assisted through voluntary repatriation programs and other returns.
The figure includes undocumented Afghans as well as people holding various types of documents in Iran and Pakistan.
Challenges faced by returning families
According to IOM monitoring in Pakistan, fear of arrest was the main reason for returning among the Afghans surveyed. In its monitoring for July, the organization said 96 percent of respondents cited this reason.
IOM warned that many people returning to Afghanistan had lived outside the country for years, and some for their entire lives. The organization said many arrive with limited social ties and face difficulties accessing housing, work, services, civil documents and protection mechanisms.
According to UNHCR, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025.
