Over 2.4 Million Afghan Refugees Returned from Iran and Pakistan Since 2023, IOM Reports

IOM Assists One Million Afghan Returnees Amid New Waves of Mass Forced Returns from Pakistan

Kabul – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has now assisted more than one million Afghan migrants returning from Pakistan and Iran since the dramatic rise in Afghan return movements began in September 2023, marking a significant milestone in IOM’s ongoing humanitarian response in Afghanistan. 

This comes at a critical moment as the Government of Pakistan begins the second phase of its Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan (IFRP), which could impact an estimated 1.6 million undocumented Afghan migrants and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders throughout 2025. Announced in October 2023, the IFRP aims to repatriate Afghan migrants from Pakistan in three phases. The first phase, which took place between September and December 2023, saw a significant influx of returnees. During this period, IOM rapidly scaled up its response and provided immediate post-arrival assistance to 407,745 undocumented Afghan returnees.    

Between 1 and 13 April 2025, IOM recorded a sharp rise in forced returns, with nearly 60,000 individuals crossing back into Afghanistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border points. IOM has assisted 10,641 of them. 

Meanwhile, returns from Iran remained consistently high in late 2023 and have continued into 2024. Iranian authorities have also announced plans to escalate deportations in 2025. 

In total, between September 2023 and April 2025, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned from Pakistan and Iran. Over half—54 per cent—were forcibly returned. IOM provided critical post-arrival humanitarian support to 1,003,563 of these returnees. 

“Reaching the one million mark reflects the capacity of both IOM and our partner agencies, as well as our ongoing commitment to supporting Afghans returning to a country where many have little or nothing to come back to,” said IOM Afghanistan Chief of Mission, Mihyung Park. “With a new wave of large-scale returns now underway from Pakistan, needs on the ground are rising rapidly—both at the border and in areas of return that are struggling to absorb large numbers of returnees. As lead of the Border Consortium, IOM stands ready to strengthen its response and expand operations at key border points to address the sharp increase in arrivals and the heightened vulnerability of returnees—but this can only happen with urgent additional resources to overcome current funding shortfalls.” 

IOM operates eight reception and transit centers across the provinces of Herat, Nimroz, Kandahar, and Nangarhar, where returnees receive food, temporary shelter, healthcare, and transportation assistance. They are also referred for medical or psychosocial services, with specialized protection provided to particularly vulnerable individuals, including women and children. 

IOM and its partners reiterate their call for all countries to immediately halt the forced returns of Afghans until conditions are in place to ensure safe, dignified, and voluntary returns, regardless of a person’s legal status. 

For more information, please contact:  

In Kabul: Avand Azeez Agha, avhasan@iom.int 

In Bangkok: Itayi Viriri, iviriri@iom.int