Refugee population by country or territory of origin in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Refugee population by country or territory of origin was 2.67 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.67 million
Change on year
down 53.7%
World rank
4th
of 205 countries
All-time high
6.40 million
in 2023
All-time low
500,000
in 1979
Years of data
47
1979–2025
Refugee population by country or territory of origin in Afghanistan, 1979–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 2.67 million for refugee population by country or territory of origin in 2025.
That represents a change of down 53.7% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugee population by country or territory of origin in Afghanistan peaked at 6.40 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 500,000, in 1979.
Afghanistan ranks 4th of 205 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Refugee population by country or territory of origin in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 500,000 | — |
| 1980 | 1.73 million | +247.0% |
| 1981 | 3.88 million | +123.6% |
| 1982 | 4.49 million | +15.7% |
| 1983 | 4.71 million | +5.0% |
| 1984 | 4.42 million | -6.3% |
| 1985 | 4.65 million | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 5.09 million | +9.5% |
| 1987 | 5.51 million | +8.2% |
| 1988 | 5.62 million | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 5.64 million | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 6.34 million | +12.3% |
| 1991 | 6.31 million | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 4.55 million | -27.8% |
| 1993 | 3.37 million | -25.9% |
| 1994 | 2.73 million | -19.1% |
| 1995 | 2.68 million | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 2.67 million | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 2.68 million | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 2.67 million | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 2.60 million | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 3.59 million | +37.9% |
| 2001 | 3.81 million | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 2.51 million | -34.1% |
| 2003 | 2.14 million | -14.9% |
| 2004 | 2.41 million | +13.0% |
| 2005 | 2.17 million | -10.3% |
| 2006 | 2.11 million | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 3.06 million | +45.1% |
| 2008 | 2.83 million | -7.3% |
| 2009 | 2.89 million | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 3.05 million | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 2.66 million | -12.8% |
| 2012 | 2.59 million | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 2.56 million | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 2.60 million | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 2.67 million | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.50 million | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 2.62 million | +4.9% |
| 2018 | 2.68 million | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 2.73 million | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 2.59 million | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 2.71 million | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 5.66 million | +108.7% |
| 2023 | 6.40 million | +13.1% |
| 2024 | 5.77 million | -9.9% |
| 2025 | 2.67 million | -53.7% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 2.67 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 164,215, 16.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 2.67 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9,174, 291.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugee population by country or territory of origin in Afghanistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +247.0% | 500,000 | 1.73 million |
| 1981 | +123.6% | 1.73 million | 3.88 million |
| 2022 | +108.7% | 2.71 million | 5.66 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 1 |
| 1980s | 4.58 million | 1.73 million | 5.64 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.66 million | 2.60 million | 6.34 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.75 million | 2.11 million | 3.81 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.67 million | 2.50 million | 3.05 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.30 million | 2.59 million | 6.40 million | 6 |
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)
- Population growth rate 0.424 (2100)
- Population density 199.65 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 9.03 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugee population by country or territory of origin in Afghanistan?
- Refugee population by country or territory of origin in Afghanistan was 2.67 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest refugee population by country or territory of origin recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 6.40 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest refugee population by country or territory of origin recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 500,000 in 1979.
- How does Afghanistan rank for refugee population by country or territory of origin?
- Afghanistan ranks 4th out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is refugee population by country or territory of origin rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Refugee population by country or territory of origin. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).