2024 population planning figures
- Afghans who are refugees, in a refugee-like situation or seeking asylum : 6.4 million, 48% women and girls; 45% children*
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IDPs : 2.0 million**, 49% women and girls; 58% children*
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Refugee and IDP returnees : 360,000
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Pakistanis who are refugees or seeking asylum in Afghanistan : 42,000
*Demographics based on 2022 annual statistical report.
**Conflict-induced IDPs.
For the reported figures consult the dedicated page on UNHCR operational data portal.
UNHCR and partners are responding to deliver vital humanitarian relief. There are 24 million people inside Afghanistan and 5.7 million Afghans and host communities in five neighbouring countries who need support.
2024 situation overview
With the crisis now in its fifth decade, the Afghanistan situation remains the largest in the region. Deteriorating human rights (particularly for women and girls), economic instability, acute food insecurity, and severe climate shocks and natural disasters in Afghanistan could spell greater uncertainty in the region in 2024. High levels of support are needed to match the scale of the humanitarian and development needs in Afghanistan and foster a recovery of stability in the region.
Against a backdrop of declining financial support, UNHCR will seek to galvanise sustained and equitable responsibility-sharing amongst the international community for the Islamic Republics of Iran and Pakistan, which have generously hosted Afghans for decades, as well as Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
In 2024, the inter-agency Refugee Response Plan (RRP) will be recalibrated into a multi-year plan, enabling UNHCR and partners in these five refugee-hosting countries to support refugees and host communities in longer-term resilience, inclusion and solutions while remaining agile and responsive to the unpredictable situation inside Afghanistan.
In parallel, UNHCR will redouble efforts to mobilize and coordinate support and resources to deliver principled, non-discriminatory humanitarian assistance to those in need in Afghanistan, including women and girls, while also advocating for the continued participation of female aid workers.
UNHCR will maintain a robust operational presence in Afghanistan. It will bolster people’s resilience by investing in health, education, and livelihoods programmes that aim to stabilize communities within Afghanistan through area-based approaches and to prevent further displacement. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, UNHCR will support the cost of secondary and tertiary health care insurance for over 260,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. In Pakistan, UNHCR will widen access to primary and secondary education for over 60,000 refugee children in the refugee villages by investing in improved learning environments, community outreach and quality teaching.
UNHCR will accelerate efforts to mobilize financial and technical assistance for the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR) and for Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Pakistan. This will also be complemented by the UNHCR-World Bank Regional Strategic Analysis Hub for the Afghanistan Situation, launched in late 2022, which provides analysis on displacement and return trends as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by forced displacement.
Over 12,000 Afghan refugees returned in the first nine months of 2023, mostly due to the cost of living and lack of employment opportunities in host countries, the improved security situation in Afghanistan, and a desire to be with their families. In 2024, to address returnees’ immediate needs and mitigate protection risks, UNHCR will continue to issue cash grants and provide multisectoral assistance at encashment centres. Information collected through return monitoring will inform UNHCR’s programmes and interventions in areas of displacement and returns. 60,000 refugees and 300,000 IDPs could return in 2024, and UNHCR will seek to attract investment into the 80 Priority Areas of Return and Reintegration, for the benefit of returnees, IDPs and local communities alike. It is imperative to strengthen essential services and facilities and ensure they receive robust support through area-based, multisectoral investments to create resilient communities and enable conditions for voluntary repatriation and sustainable reintegration. UNHCR will also seek resettlement opportunities for 12,800 Afghan refugees in 2024.
Despite the unpredictable context, UNHCR remains strongly committed to staying and delivering in Afghanistan and prioritizing the needs and rights of those most vulnerable, including women and girls, children and youth, IDPs, returnees, refugees, as well as ethnic and religious minorities – in line with the United Nations Strategic Framework for Afghanistan. However, greater responsibility-sharing is required to address the mounting needs, create conditions for voluntary return, and scale up strategic investments in resilience-building and stabilization programmes within Afghanistan to prevent further displacement.
For the most recent stories, press releases and briefing notes, please visit the Emergency page on unhcr.org dedicated to Afghanistan.