AFGHANISTAN

ISLAMICREPUBLICOF IRAN

LaghmanKabul

Jawzjan Balkh

Nangarhar

SamanganParwan

Badghis

Daykundi

FarahUruzgan

Zabul

Hirat

Nimroz

Kunar

KandaharHilmand

Paktika

KunduzTakhar

Ghazni

Ghor

KapisaNuristan

Badakhshan

Bamyan

BaghlanSar-e-Pul

Wardak

Paktya

Panjsher

Khost

Logar

Faryab

Ardabil

SouthKhorasan

Fars

Bushehr

Khuzestan

Hormozgan

Semnan

Kerman

RazaviKhorasan

Chaharmahaland Bakhtiari

Alborz

Lorestan

Qom

Qazvin

Markazi

Yazd

Ilam

EastAzerbaijan Gilan

Mazandaran

Kohgiluyeh andBoyer-Ahmad

Zanjan

WestAzerbaijan

Isfahan

Kermanshah

Kurdistan

Golestan

Hamadan

Tehran

NorthKhorasan

Sistan andBaluchestan

VOLUNTARY REPATRIATED BY COUNTRY OF ASYLUM & INTENDED DESTINATION

1

10

100

1

10

100

Intended return locationto CoO

Voluntary repatriatedfrom CoA

REFUGEE POPULATION PER PROVINCE

Circle size is proportional to thenumber of refugees by province

150,000

50,00010,000

FarsKerman

Yazd

Isfahan

Semnan

South Khorasan

Sistan and Baluchestan

Khuzestan

Ilam

Zanjan

Lorestan

Kurdistan

Gilan

Razavi Khorasan

Hormozgan

Markazi

East Azerbaijan

Ardabil

Bushehr

Golestan

West Azerbaijan

Qazvin

HamadanKermanshah

Mazandaran

Tehran andAlborz

North Khorasan

Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari

Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad

Khorasanprovinces

Qom

IRAQ

SAUDI ARABIA

TURKMENISTAN

AFGHANISTAN

PAKISTAN

TURKEY

AZERBAIJAN

KUWAIT

ARMENIA

QATAR UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

OMANBAHRAIN

AFGHAN POPULATION MOVEMENT SNAPSHOTAugust 2020

Since the 1979 Soviet invasion and the subsequent waves of violence that have rocked Afghanistan, millions of Afghans have fled the country, seeking safety elsewhere. The Islamic Republic of Iran boasts 5,894 km of borders. Most of it, including the 921 km that are shared with Afghanistan, are porous and located in remote areas. According to the Government of Iran, some 2000-2500 Afghans arrive in Iran every day. UNHCR Iran does not have access to border points and thus is unable to independently monitor arrivals or returns of Afghans. Afghans who currently reside in Afghanistan have di�erent statuses: some are refugees (Amayesh card holders), other are Afghans who posses a national passport, while other are undocumented. These populations move across borders in various ways.

951,000Amayesh Card Holders (Afghan refugees1)

In 2001, the Government of Iran issues Amayesh cards to regularize the stay of Afghan Refugees in the country as refugees. Each year, refugees have to renew their Amayesh cards. However, more recently arrived Afghans do not receive an Amayesh card. The Government of Iran is in charge of refugee status determination and UNHCR can advocate for a handful of refugees to receive amayesh cards each year.

1,5-2 Mundocumented Afghans

Undocumented is an umbrella term used to describe various groups of foreign nationals residing in Iran including: those with an invalid passport and invalid Iranian visa; those who lost their Amayesh status for di�erent reasons; those who hold a type of document, for example Tazkara, but no legal residence for Iran; and those who are not in possession of any type of document.

450,000passport holders

The Comprehensive Regularisation Plan (CRP) introduced in 2010 allowed undocumented Afghans to register with the government of Iran, and receive an Afghan passport and a visa ("family passport"). The visas of those participat-ing in the CRP have been extended at di�erent intervals since 2012, often following high level visits by the government of Afghanistan.

570voluntarily repatriated in 2020

In March 2020, UNHCR suspended its VolRep activities as a preventive measure to reduce exposure of refugees, host communities and sta� to COVID-19. In May, UNHCR partially resumed VolRep activities from its Field Unit in Dogharoun, in keeping with health and security measures, to assist refugees who have opted to return to Afghanistan.

*The map reflects Afghan refugees as of 2015 and Iraqi refugees as of 2013Disclaimer: the boundaries and names shown and the designations used on the map do not imply o�cial endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

1 (Afghan "prima facie" refugees. There has not been a prima facie decision or statement by the GIRI on prima facie recognition fro this group. Technically Amayesh is a "temporary residency permit" and it does not specifically a�ord refugee status.

RETURN OF UNDOCUMENTED AFGHANSFROM IRAN

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

Spontaneous

Deportation

AugJulJunMayAprMarFebJanDecNovOctSepAugJulJunMayAprMarFebJanDecNovOctSepAugJulJunMayAprMarFebJan

2018 2019 2020

486,000Undocumented returnees in 2020

The number of Afghans who have returned to Afghanistan spontaneously, without UNHCR support (approx. 320,000) increased by 130% compared to the same period in 2019 (approx. 140,000), presumably due to the deteriorating financial situation in Iran and the coronavirus pandemic.

3,000,000Afghans outside of Afghanistan

This number includes only Afghan refugees and asylum seekers

2,553,000Overall internally displaced Afghans

The 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview estimates that close to a million people on the move will need humanitarian assistance by the end of the year.

96,000Afghans displaced internally in 2020

59% of newly displaced Afghans are children under 18

202020192018201720162015

547446 464

775

480 486

RETURNEES BORDER MONITORING UNHCR AFGHANISTAN

# of returnees, thousands

# of returnees

83%of returneesare male

89%are undocumented

68%stayed less than a year

Reasons of entry to Iran Top reasons of return to Afghanistan

6%5%

2%2%

2%1%1%less than 0.1%

19%19%

15%14%

2%3%

5%

MaleFemale

UndocumentedPassport holderAmayesh card holder

FloodsOther

BusinessMove to Turkey and/or Europe

For medical treatmentDrought

Family visitConflict

In search of employment

Denied access to health facilitiesDiscrimination by local community

High cost of living/ high rent in IranNo employment opportunities in CoPR

Abuse by police or state authoritiesOther

Fear of COVID-19Reunite with family members in Afghanistan

Born in IranMore than10 years

6 - 10 years1 - 5 yearsLess than 1 year

Sources: Refugees in Iran - BAFIA; Voluntary Repatriation - UNHCR Iran (Sep 2020); Afghans outside of Afghanistan - UNHCR Refugee Data Finder as of 17 Aug, UNHCR Factsheet “Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees and Migrants toward Europe” (Jul 2020); undocumented returnees from Iran from 2018 to Aug 2020 - IOM Afghanistan Return of Undocumented Afghans reports (29 Aug); UNHCR Afghanistan returnee border monitoring - UNHCR Afghanistan (covers the period from 5 April to 18 Aug 2020); internally displaced people in Afghanistan - OCHA Aghanistan “Snapshot of Population Movements (January to July 2020)”. The numbers are subject to change as more information becomes available. Updated: 9 September 2020. Contact: Farha Bhoyroo, Communications O�cer, bhoyroo@unhcr.org.

In 2020, displacement due to ongoing conflict and natural disasters is continuing to drive humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. Almost 96,000 people have left their homes this year due to fighting. Many ofthese people remain displaced across the country, as conflict and poverty prevent them from returning to their areas of origin.

From January to June 2020, Afghans were the second most common nationality to claim asylum in Europe (16,925 first-time claims), after Syrians (23,860 first-time claims). In the past 8 months, roughly one in two Afghan asylum claimants were granted international protection. Germany received the most claims.

INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN ONWARD MOVEMENT OF AFGHANS

90%

9%1%

Rest of the world

Europe

South-West Asia(mostly Iran and Pakistan)

28%91%

AFGHAN POPULATION MOVEMENT SNAPSHOT

470

675512

636437

116

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 20200

50k

100k

Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul

Number of IDPs (thousands) Previous 3-year averagePast year

*2018 number also includes people displaced due to drought and other factors

INDIA

IRAN

PAKISTAN

TAJIKISTAN

TURKMENISTAN

UZBEKISTAN

Jammu&

Kashmir

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE BY PROVINCE OF ARRIVAL

Past six years Monthly trends

Number of displaced people(thousands)

7.7

1.1

13

12

2.1

7.2

4.8

6.1

1.8

8.5

1.7

3

1.4

13

1.5

3

13

0.9

1.4

2.62.7

3.5

0.6

1.5

Badakhshan

Badghis

Baghlan

Balkh

Bamyan

Daykundi

Farah

Faryab

Ghazn.Ghor

Hilmand

Hirat

Jwzjn.

KandaharNimroz

Nrstn.

Paktika

Prw.

Smngn.Sar-e-Pul

Takhar

Urz.

Mdn. Wrd.

Zabul