The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reported that Afghanistan, with 4.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), ranks fifth globally in terms of internal displacement.
In its latest report, the center stated that in 2024 alone, 1.3 million people in Afghanistan were displaced due to natural disasters, the highest number in the world. Most of these displacements were caused by floods in the provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, and Baghlan.
The report notes: “Following the withdrawal of foreign forces and the takeover of the government by the Taliban on 15 August 2021, large-scale conflict and the number of associated displacements reduced significantly in Afghanistan. Still, it was home to 4.2 million IDPs by conflict and violence, the fifth largest number globally at the end of 2024.”
In an IDP camp located in Kabul’s 5th police district, more than 600 families are residing, having fled their home provinces over the past two decades due to war and natural disasters.
Mohammad Yousuf, one of the displaced individuals, told TOLOnews: “We came here during Karzai’s government because there was war in our area. It has been about twenty years since we took refuge and started living here.”
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriations said that in 1403 (April 20, 2024 – March 19, 2025), more than 13,000 families were displaced by natural disasters. Of these, 11,580 families have returned to their original areas after receiving aid.
Ministry spokesperson Abdulmutalib Haqqani said: “Due to droughts and natural disasters, many families were forced to leave their original areas and move elsewhere. In 1403, a total of 13,979 families were displaced, and 11,580 families have returned to their areas after receiving assistance.”
Earlier, in September 2024, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed concern over the condition of IDPs in Afghanistan, saying that the country hosts more than 3 million internally displaced people and nearly 6 million refugees living in neighboring and regional countries.
