Attachments
Executive Summary
UNHCR’s Post‑Return Monitoring (PRM) continues to monitor the protection, well‑being and reintegration progress of Afghan returnees. In August 2025, the monitoring expanded to include returnees from Iran for the first time, alongside those from Pakistan. This round draws on interviews with 1,658 returnee households from Pakistan and Iran. Two new datasets were introduced for returnees from Pakistan: one for those who returned before April 2025 and one for those who returned after when cash assistance was reduced due to funding shortfalls. The survey also includes undocumented returnees, allowing analysis of possible differences between returnees with refugee documentation in countries of asylum and those without.
The changes in datasets reflect the need to understand evolving returnee experiences. In 2025, Afghanistan saw massive return movements, with an estimated 2.7 million returns between January and November. These returns reflect changes in the profiles of those coming back. Many returns occurred under duress and adverse conditions, driven by policies in neighbouring coun‑ tries and deteriorating conditions for Afghans abroad, particularly in Pakistan and Iran. These mass returns often resulted in abrupt departures and difficult journeys back to Afghanistan.
In Pakistan, the Government announced the resumption of the Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan (IFRP) on 7 March 2025, initially targeting Afghan Citizenship Card (ACC) holders, who were instructed to leave voluntarily by 31 March or face deportation from 1 April. On 31 July, the policy was expanded to include Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, with a one‑month grace period ending on 31 August. Between April and August 2025, more than 314,500 Afghans returned from Pakistan.
In Iran, returns intensified in mid‑2025 due to tighter border enforcement, the conflict with Israel, increased deportations, worsening conditions for Afghans in Iran, and the expiry of temporary stay permits held by hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Daily returns sometimes exceeded 40,000 in July. Combined returns from Iran and Pakistan reached unprecedented levels, stretching already strained border and transit facilities.
The survey findings show differences between returnee groups. Returnees from Iran gener‑ ally reported higher levels of education, slightly improved food security, and greater access to durable housing, but were less likely to have income‑generating employment, and more often reported barriers to girls’ education. Returnees from Pakistan faced deeper economic strain, relied more on daily wage labour, and carried higher debt. Timing also mattered: those returning from Pakistan after April found more casual income opportunities but struggled to afford rent and maintain sufficient food.
Across all groups, returnees continue to settle in areas with fragile conditions marked by deepening poverty and limited access to essential services. Many cannot return to their areas of origin due to lack of shelter, land, or livelihoods. Over half of households surveyed reported missing essential civil documentation, restricting access to education, healthcare, and housing. Education remains sharply constrained for all women and girls in Afghanistan: returnees from Iran most often cited policies and laws as the key barrier, while returnees from Pakistan pointed to economic obstacles. Access to healthcare is limited by cost, distance, and medicine short‑ ages, with women disproportionately affected due to movement restrictions.
These findings highlight the urgency of sustained, multi‑sectoral support to protect returnees and assist their reintegration. Interventions must be tailored to the differing profiles and needs of returnees from Iran and Pakistan, taking into account their distinct vulnerabilities and circum‑ stances behind their return. Continued post‑return monitoring remains critical to track evolving challenges, adapt programming, and advance long‑term stability and protection.