AFGHAN POPULATION MOVEMENT SNAPSHOT February 2021

Since the 1979 Soviet invasion and the subsequent waves of violence that have rocked , millions of Afghans have fled the country, seeking safety elsewhere. The Islamic Republic of 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 Iran have dierent 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.

780,000 2.1-2.25 M 275,000 146 Amayesh Card Holders (Afghan refugees1) undocumented Afghans passport holders voluntarily repatriated in 2021

In 2001, the Government of Iran issues Amayesh Undocumented is an umbrella term used to The Comprehensive Regularisation Plan (CRP) In March 2020, UNHCR suspended its VolRep cards to regularize the stay of Afghan Refugees describe various groups of foreign nationals introduced in 2010 allowed undocumented activities as a preventive measure to reduce in the country as refugees. Each year, refugees residing in Iran including: those with an invalid Afghans to register with the government of Iran, exposure of refugees, host communities and sta have to renew their Amayesh cards. However, passport and invalid Iranian visa; those who lost and receive an Afghan passport and a visa to COVID-19. In May 2020, UNHCR partially more recently arrived Afghans do not receive an their Amayesh status for dierent reasons; those ("family passport"). The visas of those participat- resumed VolRep activities from its Field Unit in Amayesh card. The Government of Iran is in who hold a type of document, for example ing in the CRP have been extended at dierent Dogharoun, in keeping with health and security charge of refugee status determination and Tazkara, but no legal residence for Iran; and intervals since 2012, often following high level measures, to assist refugees who have opted to UNHCR can advocate for a handful of refugees those who are not in possession of any type of visits by the government of Afghanistan. return to Afghanistan. to receive amayesh cards each year. document.

GEORGIA RUSSIAN KAZAKHSTAN REFUGEE POPULATIONFEDERATION PER PROVINCE REPATRIATED BY LOCATION IN IRAN & INTENDED DESTINATION IN AFGHANISTAN IN 2021 UZBEKISTAN West East Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Ardabil Ardabil West Golestan North East Gilan North Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Takhar Khorasan Khorasan Zanjan Gilan Golestan Jawzjan Kunduz Badakhshan Zanjan Mazandaran Razavi Kurdistan Mazandaran Qazvin Razavi Khorasan Samangan Semnan Khorasan Kurdistan Alborz Faryab Panjsher Hamadan Tehran Baghlan Nuristan Semnan Parwan Kermanshah Qom Sar-e-Pul Kapisa REPUBLIC Hamadan Hirat Badghis Bamyan Kunar Markazi ISLAMIC Kabul Laghman Lorestan South Kermanshah Qom Wardak Isfahan REPUBLIC Daykundi Nangarhar Ilam Khorasan AFGHANISTAN Markazi Ghor Logar Isfahan Lorestan OF IRAN Paktya Chaharmahal Ilam South Uruzgan Khost and Bakhtiari *This map shows the Khorasan AFGHANISTAN Ghazni Chaharmahal Farah Zabul Paktika Voluntary repatriated Kohgiluyeh geographic distribution of and Bakhtiari Yazd by location in Iran Khuzestan and refugees in Iran. The map uses Kandahar Khuzestan 1 Boyer-Ahmad the proportions from the 2015 Kohgiluyeh and Nimroz Fars Amayesh registration applied to Boyer-Ahmad 10 Kerman Hilmand KUWAIT data from 2020. 100 Bushehr Disclaimer: the boundaries Fars Intended return location Hormozgan Sistan and Bushehr SAUDI ARABIA Baluchestan and names shown and the Sistan and in Afghanistan Baluchestan designations used on the map Hormozgan 1 BAHRAIN OMAN do not imply o cial UNITED ARAB 10 endorsement or acceptance QATAR EMIRATES by the United Nations. 100

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 aord refugee status. According to the data received from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran in October 2020, on which consultations are ongoing, 800,000 refugee card holders reside in Iran, 780,000 of which are Afghans and 20,000 Iraqis.. AFGHAN POPULATION MOVEMENT SNAPSHOT

INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN AFGHANISTAN ONWARD MOVEMENT OF AFGHANS

In 2020, displacement due to ongoing conflict and natural disasters continued to drive humanitarian needs In January 2021, Afghans were the second most common citizenship to claim asylum in (3,900 in Afghanistan. Almost 380,000 people have left their homes in 2020 due to fighting. Many of first-time claims), after Syrians (10,400 claims). In November 2020, 61% of Afghan asylum claimants in Europe these people remain displaced across the country, as conflict and poverty prevent them from returning to were granted international protection, the highest level in 2020. In Oct and Nov, Afghan children made up their areas of origin. nearly half of all asylum applications by unaccompanied minors in Europe.

1% 9%

2,993,000 380,000 3,000,000 Rest of the world

IDPs due to conflict as of end of 2019 Afghans displaced internally in 2020 Afghans outside of Afghanistan Europe

South-West (mostly Iran and Pakistan) The 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview estimates 59% of newly displaced Afghans are children This number includes only Afghan refugees and that close to a million people on the move will need under 18 asylum seekers 90% humanitarian assistance by the end of the year.

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE BY PROVINCE OF ARRIVAL RETURN OF UNDOCUMENTED AFGHANS FROM IRAN 160,000 UZBEKISTAN Undocumented returnees in 2021

TAJIKISTAN # of returnees, thousands 859 775 TURKMENISTAN Badakhshan The number of undocumented Afghans who have 547 11 Balkh 446 464 480 returned to Afghanistan since the beginning of 2021 68 11 160 Jwzjn. 19 34 Takhar Jammu incresed by more than 150% compared to the same 21 3.7 & 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 period in 2020. Both spontaneaous return and 7.5 28 Kashmir Faryab Smngn. Baghlan Sar-e-Pul deportation increased proportionally by around 150%. 7.3 Nrstn. # of returnees Badghis Bamyan 0.9 15 200000 Spontaneous Hirat Prw. 8.1 4 Deportation 7.4 Mdn. Wrd. 12 1.5 24 150000 1.8 13 2.7 Ghor Daykundi Ghazn. 100000 2.7 2.4

10 13 Paktika 50000 Farah Urz. Zabul 2.2 4.8 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb 2018 2019 2020 2021 Nimroz Kandahar PAKISTAN IRAN 27 14 2.2 RETURNEES BORDER MONITORING UNHCR AFGHANISTAN Hilmand 97% 80% are undocumented stayed less than a year Number of displaced people (thousands) Deportee Passport holder 6 - 10 years Born in Iran Spontaneous returnee VRF holder 1 - 5 years More than 10 years Past six years Monthly trends Less than 1 year Number of IDPs (thousands) Previous 3-year average Past year Reasons of entry to Iran Top reasons of return to Afghanistan* *Spontaneous returnees, VRF holders, and Passport/ID holders In search of employment 68% 100k Reunite with family members in Afghanistan 26% Conflict 24% Lack of employment opportunities 25% Fear of COVID-19 22% Family visit 6% 675 636 Obtain passport and visa to return to Iran 5% 512 50k 470 437 380 For medical treatment 2% High cost of living in Iran 5% Denied access to health facilities 4% Drought 1% Family gatherings 4% 0 Move to Turkey and/or Europe less than 0.5% Fear of arrest and/or deportation 2% 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Discrimination by local community 2% Business less than 0.5% Threat of detention/forced quarantine *2018 number also includes people displaced due to drought and other factors 1% Other 0% Other 4%

Sources: Refugees in Iran - GIRI (2020); Voluntary Repatriation - UNHCR Iran (Feb 2021); Afghans outside of Afghanistan - UNHCR Refugee Data Finder as of 5 Nov; Internally displaced Afghans due to conflict and violence in 2019 - IDMC; UNHCR Factsheet “Onward Movements of Afghan Refugees and Migrants toward Europe” (Feb 2021); undocumented returnees from Iran from 2018 to Mar 2021 - IOM Afghanistan Return of Undocumented Afghans reports (4 Mar 2021) ; UNHCR Afghanistan Border Monitoring Report - UNHCR Afghanistan (Feb 2021); internally displaced people in Afghanistan - OCHA Aghanistan “Snapshot of Population Movements (January to December 2020)” as of 25 Jan. The numbers are subject to change as more information becomes available. Updated: 23 March 2021. Contact: Farha Bhoyroo, Communications O cer, [email protected].