Afghan Refugees by Country 2025
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5 Countries with the Most Refugees
Country | Refugees by Destination↓ | Arrived Since August 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Pakistan | 1,333,749 | 600,000 |
 | Iran | 748,327 | 1,000,000 |
 | Tajikistan | 7,900 | 6,125 |
 | Turkmenistan | 9 | |
 | Uzbekistan | 5 | 13,020 |
- As demonstrated by the number of refugees currently in Iran compared to the total number who have arrived in the country since August of 2021, not all refugees remain in the country in which they initially seek refuge. Many either return home after a time (which roughly 20,000 are known to have done from 2021 to mid-2023) or move on to another country.
- Data as of 06-30-2023
Pakistan
During the Afghan and Soviet War that took place between 1979-89, Pakistan took in 3,100,000 Afghan refugees. During the Afghanistan War that carried on from 2001 until 2021, the country took in 1,438,432 Afghans.
Pakistan borders Afghanistan to the west and south. This country only has 340,509 square miles (881,913 km) of the land but a 2022 census of 242,923,845 people. That’s about 633.0 people per square mile (244.4 square kilometers) – quite crowded.
Iran
While the Afghan and Soviet War occurred from 1979 to 1989, Iran housed 3,100,000 Afghan refugees. Then, they allowed 780,000 more to enter sometime between 2001-2021 during the War in Afghanistan. Iran borders Afghanistan on the east, and a large portion of its land sits between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf.
This country sits on 636,372 square miles (1,648,195 square kilometers), and It’s less population-dense than other countries hosting Afghan citizens. Iran has only 124.3 people living on it per square mile (48 square kilometers) and an 83,183,741 census as of 2019.
United States
During the 1979-1989 Soviet-Afghan War, the United States provided refuge for 132,000 Afghan citizens. When the 20-year war in Afghanistan occurred, the U.S. housed 89,500 people from Afghan seeking asylum after 2001.
The U.S. has far more room to house people from other countries than the Middle East and Eastern Asia does. U.S. soil makes up about 3.797 million square miles (6.11 million square kilometers) and has a population density of only 94 people per mile (36 people per square kilometer).
India
60,000 Afghans fled to India, where they found refuge during the Soviet-Afghan War between 1979-1989. This asylum country also housed 15,806 Afghans during the seemingly never-ending Afghanistan war. This conflict took place from 2001-2021 after the September 11, 2001, Disaster.
India doesn’t border Afghanistan, but it does border Pakistan. India is far denser than the U.S., with 1.38 billion in 2020 and about 464 per square kilometer, which is 1,202 people per square mile.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan to the south, provided a home to 1,161 people during the 1992-1996 Civil War. Another 15,336 fled here during the Taliban Rule that took place from 1996-2001.
The country has an estimated population of about 9,537,645 people living within only 55,300 square miles (143,100 square kilometers). When compared to the size of the U.S., you get the idea of how small Tajikistan is.
