Afghanistan emergency

Emergency appeal

Afghanistan emergency

Following decades of conflict, millions of people in Afghanistan are experiencing abject poverty and hunger amid economic collapse, recurrent natural disasters, and the widespread curtailing of human rights, particularly for women and girls.

Countries affected: Afghanistan | Islamic Republic of Iran | Kazakhstan | Pakistan

An internally displaced man in Afghanistan, wrapped in blankets, holds a small child. Behind him is a refugee tent settlement.

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23.7 million

people in Afghanistan in need of vital humanitarian relief

3.25 million

people internally displaced by conflict in Afghanistan

5.3 million

Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers are registered in neighbouring countries

Updated November 2024

Are you a refugee, asylum-seeker or stateless person looking for help? Visit the HELP site to find support and services from UNHCR.

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Afghanistan is experiencing a humanitarian crisis and protracted displacement

Although new conflict-related displacement has reduced in recent years, Afghanistan is grappling with one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. More than half the population needs humanitarian assistance, the health care system is collapsing, the growing impacts of climate change are exacerbating poverty and food insecurity, and women and girls have limited access to fundamental human rights, including the right to be educated and to work.

Afghans constitute one of the largest refugee populations worldwide, with almost 90 per cent hosted in Iran and Pakistan. Between mid-September and mid-March 2024, over 531,000 Afghans returned to their country from Pakistan, most of them after an announcement by the Government of Pakistan that it would deport undocumented foreign nationals living in the country. The abrupt return of hundreds of thousands of Afghans has further compounded the humanitarian crisis and placed an undue burden on already limited resources in vulnerable communities. UNHCR has assisted some 94,000 returnees since Jan 2023.

Emergency overviews

Global Report:
2024 | more available soon

Global Appeal:
available soon

Protracted crisis: UNHCR may designate some situations as protracted crises. This is an informal classification that indicates a long-term crisis with widespread and deepening humanitarian needs. Afghanistan falls into this category. Learn more about UNHCR emergency classifications.

The first time I returned, I was very sad; it was a very green village before with fruit trees and when I came back, everything was destroyed.

Mohammad, 36, internally displaced Afghan man after returning to village in Kunduz province

What is UNHCR doing to help?

UNHCR is committed to staying and delivering in Afghanistan to protect the most vulnerable and assist Afghans with life-saving protection services, shelter, core relief items, cash assistance, community-based programmes, and psychosocial support.

We also support livelihoods and training programmes in areas with high numbers of returning refugees and internally displaced people, to encourage self-reliance and social cohesion. To support refugees returning from neighbouring countries, UNHCR also provides legal counselling and assistance to help people with civil documentation so they can access vital services including health care, education, cash grants and shelter assistance.

UNHCR provides targeted winter assistance, including blankets, stoves, insulation kits and support for heating, as well as emergency assistance in response to disasters such as the floods that struck large parts of the country in May and July 2024.

More humanitarian aid is urgently needed to protect and assist Afghans forced to flee.

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