UN: Surge of Returning Migrants Strains Afghanistan’s Infrastructure
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has reported that the large-scale return of Afghan migrants in 2025 has placed unprecedented pressure on the country’s urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. According to the report, approximately 2.8 million individuals have returned to Afghanistan this year alone.
The agency has warned that nearly two million more could return in 2026, a figure that could further deepen existing challenges in housing, urban services, and social infrastructure.
UN-Habitat added that the rise in returnees has increased the urgent need to establish sustainable settlements, provide adequate housing, and expand essential services such as water, electricity, education, and healthcare. Many of Afghanistan’s major cities were already grappling with a shortage of facilities and unplanned urban expansion.
The organization stated that the purpose of these assessments is to aid more precise planning and decision-making regarding investments in urban settlements and areas, so that the reintegration process of returnees can be managed sustainably.
While Afghanistan has faced one of the world’s largest displacement crises for years, the Taliban administration has yet to present a comprehensive and transparent plan to manage the latest wave of returning migrants—an issue that has raised concerns over worsening poverty, unemployment, and the expansion of informal settlements.
