Afghanistan Sees 20% Drop in Opium Cultivation in 2025: UN Report
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has reported a 20% reduction in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan in 2025 compared to the previous year, bringing the total cultivated area to 10,200 hectares. This significant decline, along with other market indicators, marks a considerable shift in the region’s drug production and trafficking landscape.
According to the report, opium production has fallen even more sharply, dropping by 32% to an estimated 296 tonnes this year. Experts note that this steep decline has directly impacted farmers’ incomes, slashing their opium-related earnings by 48% — from $260 million in 2024 to $134 million in 2025.
Following the Taliban administration’s ban on opium cultivation, many farmers have turned to growing grains and other crops. However, drought and reduced rainfall have left over 40% of agricultural land uncultivated. This situation, alongside the return of an estimated four million Afghans from neighboring countries—now about 10% of the national population—has intensified competition for scarce resources and could potentially prompt a resurgence in poppy cultivation.
Meanwhile, the price of dry opium fell by 27% in 2025 to $570 per kilogram, down from $780 the previous year. Though significant, prices remain five times higher than averages seen before the ban. This shift reflects evolving market dynamics and could drive increased efforts to cultivate illicit poppies in other countries.
Oliver Stolpe, UNODC’s regional representative for Afghanistan, Central Asia, Iran, and Pakistan, emphasized that exiting the illegal agriculture economy in Afghanistan requires long-term, coordinated investment—especially through international partnerships. He stressed that support for Afghan farmers in finding alternative sources of income must go hand-in-hand with drug supply reduction and demand-side interventions such as prevention and treatment.
Georgette Gagnon, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA’s humanitarian efforts, warned that Afghanistan’s drug crisis extends beyond its borders and demands global cooperation. She highlighted the role of the ‘Counter Narcotics Working Group’ under the Doha Process, which aims to create a platform for joint solutions between the Taliban authorities and the international community.
The report also noted a rise in the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine, since the opium ban. UNODC data shows seizures of such substances in Afghanistan and neighboring countries surged by around 50% by the end of 2024.
The UN has warned that with the decline in opium farming, criminal networks are increasingly shifting to synthetic drug production—which is harder to detect and less vulnerable to climate conditions. As a result, counter-narcotics strategies must expand beyond opium to include comprehensive monitoring and action against synthetic drugs.
