Nearly one million Afghan migrants have been deported or returned from Iran and Pakistan since the start of 2025, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
UNAMA said in a statement on Wednesday that between January 1 and June 30, a total of 949,000 Afghans were returned — 741,000 from Iran and 208,000 from Pakistan.
The sharp increase in returns, the mission said, has been driven in part by heightened regional tensions, which have accelerated deportation efforts. In June alone, more than 283,000 Afghans were sent back from Iran.
Unlike in previous years, when many returnees were single men, more than 60 percent of the families arriving this year include women and children, UNAMA said — a shift that presents greater humanitarian challenges.
“Host communities are under immense strain. Resources are limited, public services are overstretched, and the risk of social tensions is rising,” the report warned.
The UN mission said returnees are in urgent need of shelter, food, health care, and livelihood support to begin rebuilding their lives.
UNAMA called on the international community to increase aid and respond “responsibly and urgently” to prevent the situation from becoming a broader humanitarian crisis.
