Six Million Afghan Nationals Return Home From Iran and Pakistan

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees describes the return of six million Afghan nationals to their homeland over the last three years as exceptional in recent history. Most of these individuals entered from neighboring Iran and Pakistan. On September 1, 2026, the National Radio and Television of Afghanistan reported a single-day return of more than 1,750 refugees, including 1,449 from Pakistan and 306 from Iran.

To manage the influx, the Government of Afghanistan provided food, shelters, and non-food relief items, while allocating over 70,000 plots of land for settlement. Despite these measures, returnees face acute work shortages and deepening poverty. These economic hardships have led to calls for increased international assistance to support reintegration.

The UNHCR emphasized that all returns must remain voluntary, safe, and dignified. The scale of the migration reversal is particularly significant given that millions of Afghan citizens living abroad often lack formal documentation.