Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 2.67 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Afghanistan, 1979–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
The most recent figure for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Afghanistan is 2.67 million, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 53.7% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Afghanistan peaked at 6.40 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 500,000, in 1979.
Afghanistan ranks 4th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 500,000 | — |
| 1980 | 1.73 million | +247.0% |
| 1981 | 3.88 million | +123.6% |
| 1982 | 4.49 million | +15.7% |
| 1983 | 4.71 million | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 4.42 million | -6.3% |
| 1985 | 4.65 million | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 5.09 million | +9.5% |
| 1987 | 5.51 million | +8.2% |
| 1988 | 5.62 million | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 5.64 million | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 6.34 million | +12.3% |
| 1991 | 6.31 million | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 4.55 million | -27.8% |
| 1993 | 3.37 million | -25.9% |
| 1994 | 2.73 million | -19.1% |
| 1995 | 2.68 million | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 2.67 million | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 2.68 million | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 2.67 million | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 2.60 million | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 3.59 million | +37.9% |
| 2001 | 3.81 million | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 2.51 million | -34.1% |
| 2003 | 2.14 million | -14.9% |
| 2004 | 2.41 million | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 2.17 million | -10.3% |
| 2006 | 2.11 million | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 3.06 million | +45.1% |
| 2008 | 2.83 million | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 2.89 million | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 3.05 million | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 2.66 million | -12.8% |
| 2012 | 2.59 million | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 2.56 million | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 2.60 million | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 2.67 million | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.50 million | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 2.62 million | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 2.68 million | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 2.73 million | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 2.59 million | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 2.71 million | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 5.66 million | +108.7% |
| 2023 | 6.40 million | +13.1% |
| 2024 | 5.77 million | -9.9% |
| 2025 | 2.67 million | -53.7% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 2.67 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 164,215, 16.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 2.67 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9,174, 291.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Afghanistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +247.0% | 500,000 | 1.73 million |
| 1981 | +123.6% | 1.73 million | 3.88 million |
| 2022 | +108.7% | 2.71 million | 5.66 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 1 |
| 1980s | 4.58 million | 1.73 million | 5.64 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.66 million | 2.60 million | 6.34 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.75 million | 2.11 million | 3.81 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.67 million | 2.50 million | 3.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.30 million | 2.59 million | 6.40 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 1 Ukraine 5.22 million compare
- 2 Syrian Arab Republic 4.87 million compare
- 3 Sudan 2.82 million compare
- 5 South Sudan 2.39 million compare
- 6 Myanmar 1.52 million compare
- 7 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.18 million compare
More social development data for Afghanistan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 20,869 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.67 million (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0609 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0005 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0144 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Afghanistan?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Afghanistan was 2.67 million in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 6.40 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 500,000 in 1979.
- How does Afghanistan rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- Afghanistan ranks 4th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin with 148 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin with 148 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.