Refugees by country of origin in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Refugees by country of origin was 5.77 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
5.77 million people
Change on year
down 9.9%
World rank
2nd
of 204 countries
All-time high
6.40 million people
in 2023
All-time low
500,000 people
in 1979
Years of data
46
1979–2024
Refugees by country of origin in Afghanistan, 1979–2024
Source: UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 5.77 million people for refugees by country of origin in 2024.
That represents a change of down 9.9% on the previous year and up 122.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees by country of origin in Afghanistan peaked at 6.40 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 500,000 people, in 1979.
Afghanistan ranks 2nd of 204 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Refugees by country of origin in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 500,000 people | — |
| 1980 | 1.73 million people | +247.0% |
| 1981 | 3.88 million people | +123.6% |
| 1982 | 4.49 million people | +15.7% |
| 1983 | 4.71 million people | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 4.42 million people | -6.3% |
| 1985 | 4.65 million people | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 5.09 million people | +9.5% |
| 1987 | 5.51 million people | +8.2% |
| 1988 | 5.62 million people | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 5.64 million people | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 6.34 million people | +12.3% |
| 1991 | 6.31 million people | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 4.55 million people | -27.8% |
| 1993 | 3.37 million people | -25.9% |
| 1994 | 2.73 million people | -19.1% |
| 1995 | 2.68 million people | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 2.67 million people | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 2.68 million people | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 2.67 million people | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 2.60 million people | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 3.59 million people | +37.9% |
| 2001 | 3.81 million people | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 2.51 million people | -34.1% |
| 2003 | 2.14 million people | -14.9% |
| 2004 | 2.41 million people | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 2.17 million people | -10.3% |
| 2006 | 2.11 million people | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 3.06 million people | +45.1% |
| 2008 | 2.83 million people | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 2.89 million people | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 3.05 million people | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 2.66 million people | -12.8% |
| 2012 | 2.59 million people | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 2.56 million people | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 2.60 million people | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 2.67 million people | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.50 million people | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 2.62 million people | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 2.68 million people | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 2.73 million people | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 2.59 million people | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 2.71 million people | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 5.66 million people | +108.7% |
| 2023 | 6.40 million people | +13.1% |
| 2024 | 5.77 million people | -9.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 500,000 people | 1 |
| 1980s | 4.58 million people | 1.73 million people | 5.64 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.66 million people | 2.60 million people | 6.34 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.75 million people | 2.11 million people | 3.81 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.67 million people | 2.50 million people | 3.05 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.63 million people | 2.59 million people | 6.40 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More population data for Afghanistan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.2412 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2115 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 74,075 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.39 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2522 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Population density 199.65 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 9.03 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees by country of origin in Afghanistan?
- Refugees by country of origin in Afghanistan was 5.77 million people in 2024, according to UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest refugees by country of origin recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 6.40 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest refugees by country of origin recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 500,000 people in 1979.
- How does Afghanistan rank for refugees by country of origin?
- Afghanistan ranks 2nd out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is refugees by country of origin rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 122.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Refugees by country of origin. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
People who fled their country of origin and are in need of international protection. Refugees are those who have already been granted asylum status in the country they moved to. This includes all refugees, not just those who fled that year.