IOM's Returnee Resilience Overview counts nearly 6.5 million Afghans back from Iran and Pakistan

8 October 2026

The International Organization for Migration has published a study called the Returnee Resilience Overview on the nearly 6.5 million Afghans who have come back from Iran and Pakistan since 2023. The survey covered returnee households that had been in Afghanistan for at least eight months, including undocumented ones. Among returnees aged 14 and above, 53 per cent had completed no education, half had no specialised work experience, and 69 per cent had not been employed in the previous thirty days. Eighty-two per cent returned as whole households, averaging 6.1 members, and 58 per cent of returnees were under 18. Seventy-seven per cent were living in transitional shelters and 51 per cent did not have enough living space. Only 21 per cent of households said every member had documentation, and 43 per cent lacked the papers needed to use public services. Mihyung Park is IOM's chief of mission in Afghanistan.