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.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 10th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump called his recent phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin “very good.” The two leaders spoke on Monday about the situation in Iran and other international issues.
Welcome to our live coverage as the conflict involving Iran enters its 11th day. Tensions in the region remain high as the United States and Iran exchange increasingly sharp warnings over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
Schools across Pakistan are being forced to close for a fortnight from next week with government departments down to a four-day week, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a televised address to the nation.
Just under a year after being arrested and imprisoned at Silivri prison in the west of İstanbul, İmamoğlu appeared in good spirits when he arrived in court on Monday to face around 140 charges including leading a criminal organisation for profit and bribery.
Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Kyrgyzstan recorded the largest increase in women’s representation in parliament worldwide in 2025, according to a new report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Türkiye’s official anti-disinformation agency has issued a statement refuting what it described as online “disinformation” and reiterating the strength of relations between Türkiye and Azerbaijan.
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