The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that nearly eight million people have left Afghanistan since 2020, with 85 percent of them moving to neighboring countries, primarily Iran. Close to one million of them have sought refuge in Europe, the report says.
IOM highlighted that approximately 70 percent of Afghans migrating to Iran cited the lack of job opportunities as the primary reason for their relocation. Despite this exodus, the number of returnees from Iran remains consistently high.
“In 2023, IOM registered nearly one million returns, with 70 percent being undocumented and 60 percent forcibly returned,” the report noted. From January 2023 to May 2024, IOM provided post-arrival assistance to 805,825 returning Afghan migrants.
The report also cited the World Bank, noting that since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country has experienced significant economic contraction and a rise in poverty levels.
Amid these challenges, both Iran and Pakistan have emphasized the deportation of Afghan refugees from their territories. According to the United Nations, Pakistan has expelled more than half a million refugees since last November. Additionally, there has been an increase in the mistreatment of Afghan refugees in Iran over the past two weeks.
