More than 11 million Afghans have been displaced or have returned to the country between 2021 and 2025, as drought, floods and mass returns from neighbouring states deepen an already fragile humanitarian crisis, according to a new report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
“Environmental hazards continued to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities in 2025,” the IOM said, noting that 79% of displacements in early 2025 were linked to climate- and disaster-related events.
Drought remains the dominant driver of internal displacement. Among those displaced within Afghanistan in 2025, 42% fled because of drought, while floods and other disasters accounted for a further 10%. In Nimroz province, displaced people now make up 15% of the population.
At the same time, returns from neighbouring countries have surged. In 2025 alone, 2.7 million Afghans returned from abroad - nearly half of the total number of returnees recorded since 2021. The IOM attributed the increase to escalating deportations and insecurity in the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan.
According to the agency’s flow monitoring data, 43% of those entering from Iran cited deportation as the reason for their return, while 47% of those arriving from Pakistan said they “felt unsafe in the host country”.
The strain is particularly visible in western Afghanistan. Herat province now hosts the country’s largest mobile population, with more than one million people either displaced or returned.
Climate impacts are also driving Afghans to leave. Between April and December 2025, 675,496 people departed because of climate-related livelihood losses, with 79% heading to Iran.
As one community member in Helmand told the IOM: “Before, farmers used river water, but now everyone drills their own wells… This has lowered the groundwater level and made the water problem worse every day.”
With drought affecting 89% of assessed communities, mobility in Afghanistan is no longer episodic - it has become structural.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk...
A 62-year-old man died on Wednesday after floodwaters swept his car into the sea on the Greek island of Rhodes, as torrential rain flooded roads, s...
A failure by the U.S. and Iran to reach an agreement on a UN-backed fertiliser shipping plan for the Strait of Hormuz within weeks could trigger a ...
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia hit at least six energy targets in deadly strikes across Ukraine, showing Moscow is unwilling to accept the energy ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Thousands of young Georgians leave the country each year in search of better economic opportunities, with many moving west. As questions grow over Georgia’s European path, AnewZ spoke to people who have emigrated about what it would take for them to return.
Ukraine's soldiers have had their access to Starlink satellite internet restricted. Kyiv's troops use the terminals, made by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to pilot drones. A source in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the restrictions would make it harder for Kyiv's army to down Russian drones.
Armenia and Russia have agreed to establish a joint working group to tackle railway infrastructure problems as Yerevan considers changes to Russian management and pushes ahead with plans to restore regional transport links.
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for the recent drone and missile strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and Riyadh and at King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia, vowing to carry out more attacks in the coming days.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Georgia and Uzbekistan are aiming to nearly quadruple annual trade to $1 billion, up from $267.6 million in 2025, as the two countries seek to strengthen economic ties and expand transport links.
Iran has warned against the military use of Starlink, saying it has developed domestic technology capable of countering cyber threats linked to the satellite internet service.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment