Displacement and migration A refuge for people from Afghanistan

Pakistan remains the world's number one host of refugees from Afghanistan. Some 1.4 million people from the neighbouring country have been registered officially in Pakistan. In addition, a large number of refugees are living in the country without having registered. Most refugees are living outside refugee camps in urban or semi-urban areas, especially in the Provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

Pakistani displaced people are returning to their home villages.

Their legal residence status and their access to education, health and political participation have always been precarious. Since the beginning of 2021 and especially since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, nearly 90,000 refugees from Afghanistan have newly arrived in Pakistan, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The worsening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the growing numbers of refugees in Pakistan are putting further strain on national (social protection) systems, which had already been under pressure, and are leading to a growing need for support. Pakistan also has to meet the needs of numerous internally displaced persons. In recent years, some 900,000 people have been internally displaced by violent conflict and natural disasters.

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