Over a Quarter of Afghan Migrant Families in Iran Headed by Women
Iranian officials say that more than a quarter of the nearly six million Afghan migrant families currently living in Iran are headed by women, a situation they say is contributing to significant social challenges for both the migrant population and host communities.
Nader YarAhmadi, Director-General for Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs at Iran’s Interior Ministry, made the remarks during a ministerial meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states. He stated that while economic pressures are the main driver of migration in the region, in Afghanistan’s case, non-economic factors such as insecurity and conflict initially triggered migration, with economic pressure sustaining it over time.
YarAhmadi noted that many Afghan migrant women face difficult circumstances, often taking on the role of head of household in the absence of male family members who have either left or are unable to work. According to him, this situation poses challenges not only for the women themselves but also for the receiving country’s social and economic systems.
He disclosed that over 1.45 million Afghan migrants have left Iran since the beginning of the current Gregorian year. Nevertheless, a significant number of undocumented migrants remain in the country, and YarAhmadi emphasized the need for their departure. He explained that Iran initially decided to retain half of last year’s six million Afghan migrants, with plans to manage ongoing migration more closely in subsequent phases.
According to Iranian assessments, more than 4.5 million Afghan migrants currently reside in Iran. Given the persistent insecurity in Afghanistan and challenges along the border with Pakistan, many of these individuals have been in a state of movement, with some entering Iran unofficially.
YarAhmadi also stated that most of the women who have left Iran did so within family units, while the continued presence of female-headed households has been based on their own voluntary requests, as forced deportation of women is not part of Iran’s policy. However, he noted that the majority of those who left in the latest wave of departures were either men or complete family units.
Regarding Iran’s cooperation with Afghanistan in managing migration flows, YarAhmadi stressed that the Taliban administration has provided no practical guarantees to prevent illegal migration. He criticized what he described as poor cooperation by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan and warned that tackling migration waves will remain a major challenge as long as serious economic disparities persist across the region.
These comments come amid efforts to strengthen regional cooperation through the ECO summit, where officials expressed hope that greater economic integration could help address the migration crisis. However, without political and economic stability in Afghanistan, meaningful progress in managing migration flows remains unlikely.
