- Nine out of 10 Afghan families skip meals and go into debt: UNDP.
- 4.5 million repatriates from 2023 put a strain on a collapsing economy.
- The proportion of women in the workforce falls to 6%.
Afghanistan's economic recovery is weakening as nine in 10 households are forced to skip meals, sell belongings or go into debt to survive, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning that mass returns are exacerbating the country's worst crisis since the Taliban returned to power.
A United Nations Development Program (UNDP) report said nearly one in 10 Afghans abroad have been forced to return home, with more than 4.5 million returnees since 2023, mainly from Iran and Pakistan, increasing the population by 10%.
On top of that, earthquakes, floods and drought have destroyed 8,000 homes and strained public services “beyond their limits.”
Earthquakes, floods and famine
A survey of more than 48,000 households found that more than half of returnees from Afghanistan have skipped medical care to buy food, and 45% rely on open springs or unprotected wells for water.
Nearly 90% of returning Afghan families are in debt, between $373 and $900, up to five times the average monthly income of $100 and almost half the annual gross domestic product per capita, the UNDP said.
In areas with a large number of returnees, one teacher serves between 70 and 100 students, 30% of the children work, and unemployment among returnees reaches 95%. The average monthly income is 6,623 Afghanis ($99.76), while rents have tripled.
UNDP warned that without urgent support to strengthen livelihoods and services in high-return areas, the overlapping crises of poverty, exclusion and migration will deepen.
He said maintaining aid is critical as donor pledges have plummeted since 2021, covering only a fraction of the $3.1 billion the U.N. sought for Afghanistan this year.
The Taliban government called for international humanitarian assistance after a deadly earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan in September, and has formally protested the mass expulsion of Afghan citizens from a neighboring nation, saying it is “deeply concerned” about their treatment.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and a government spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Women are the most affected
Women's participation in Afghanistan's workforce has fallen to 6%, one of the lowest globally, and movement restrictions have made it nearly impossible for female heads of households to access jobs, education or healthcare.
Kanni Wignaraja, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, said: “In some provinces, one in four households depends on women as the main breadwinners, so when women are prevented from work, families and communities, the country loses.”
Female-headed households, which represent up to 26% of returning families in some districts, face the highest risk of food insecurity and secondary displacement.
UNDP urged Taliban authorities to allocate more resources and called on donors to lift restrictions on female aid workers.
“Leaving women out of frontline humanitarian work means cutting vital services to those who need them most,” Wignaraja said.
