UNDP Warns of Strain as Over 2.3 Million Afghans Face Forced Return in 2025
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has announced that more than 2.3 million migrants are expected to be forcibly returned to Afghanistan in 2025—a wave of repatriation placing unprecedented pressure on host communities.
In a statement marking International Migrants Day, UNDP stressed the critical need for dialogue and planning around migration under Afghanistan’s current circumstances, highlighting that many return areas already face shortages in basic services, job opportunities, and livelihood support.
According to UNDP’s assessment, a lack of sustainable solutions in return areas risks exacerbating poverty, unemployment, and social discontent. The agency emphasized that any effective response to the returnee crisis must begin within the very communities receiving these populations.
As the Taliban continues to govern the country, international organizations have repeatedly warned that without transparent policies, support for returnees, and investment in local development, the migration crisis in Afghanistan will not only persist but could also have far-reaching consequences for social stability.
