MigrantoAfghan Diaspora
7.5M Afghans live abroad — the #9 largest diaspora in the world
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 80% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Iran | 3752317 |
| Pakistan | 1923453 |
| Germany | 358767 |
| Turkey | 332053 |
| USA | 199252 |
| Saudi Arabia | 153258 |
| United Kingdom | 99398 |
| France | 89849 |
| Australia | 81506 |
| Sweden | 79353 |
| Canada | 70392 |
| Austria | 54204 |
| Belgium | 50906 |
| Greece | 48116 |
| Netherlands | 42853 |
| Switzerland | 24005 |
| Italy | 19207 |
| Norway | 19172 |
| India | 17646 |
| Denmark | 14440 |
| Tajikistan | 12467 |
| Kazakhstan | 8919 |
| Finland | 8262 |
| UAE | 7665 |
| Brazil | 7050 |
| New Zealand | 6706 |
| Japan | 6050 |
| Indonesia | 5979 |
| Ukraine | 4956 |
| Kuwait | 3094 |
| Israel | 2927 |
| South Africa | 2910 |
| Malaysia | 2906 |
| Russia | 2880 |
| Mexico | 2262 |
| Hungary | 2142 |
| Qatar | 1679 |
| China | 1569 |
| Azerbaijan | 1419 |
| Syria | 1179 |
| Bahrain | 772 |
| Colombia | 670 |
| Mali | 621 |
| Bulgaria | 586 |
| Luxembourg | 500 |
| Egypt | 486 |
| Libya | 359 |
| Iraq | 318 |
| Belarus | 274 |
| Slovakia | 211 |
| Turkmenistan | 197 |
| Ecuador | 173 |
| Iceland | 163 |
| Sri Lanka | 133 |
| Estonia | 66 |
| Nicaragua | 64 |
| Namibia | 47 |
| Lithuania | 43 |
| Latvia | 42 |
| Georgia | 41 |
| Slovenia | 41 |
| Cyprus | 6 |
| Liechtenstein | 6 |
| Costa Rica | 5 |
| Guinea | 1 |
| Bolivia | 1 |
By destination region
Asia is the leading destination region at 76%
5.7M
920.4K
504.4K
269.6K
88.2K
10.2K
4.4K
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Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Afghanistan.
France is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to France has increased by 630% since 2015, rising from 12.3K to 89.8K in 9 years.
Iran is the primary destination for emigrants
Iran attracts 50% of all emigrants from Afghanistan, while the second-largest destination receives just 26%.
Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990
8 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium — Germany rose from outside the top 20 to rank #3.
Emigration has accelerated notably since 2020
The emigrant population grew 31% from 5.7M to 7.5M, indicating an acceleration in emigration flows following COVID and recent geopolitical shifts.
The share of emigrants going to Asia has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Asia has shifted from 98.8% to 76.1% since 1990.
A significant share of the population lives abroad
1 in 6 residents of Afghanistan has emigrated — 7.5M out of 42.6M, representing 17.7% of the population.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 7477104 |
| 1995 | 4107724 |
| 2000 | 4544516 |
| 2005 | 3902699 |
| 2010 | 5074825 |
| 2015 | 5181002 |
| 2020 | 5729887 |
| 2024 | 7528994 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Iran | Pakistan | Germany | Turkey | USA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3980307 | 3374973 | 607 | 7147 | 26484 |
| 1995 | 2660518 | 1291867 | 8522 | 9904 | 13880 |
| 2000 | 2232283 | 2069977 | 21132 | 9620 | 41681 |
| 2005 | 2376348 | 1166210 | 46763 | 17982 | 56433 |
| 2010 | 2572558 | 1990641 | 77856 | 29314 | 58708 |
| 2015 | 2621236 | 1710378 | 101950 | 101893 | 80014 |
| 2020 | 2710601 | 1598223 | 265648 | 271641 | 135452 |
| 2024 | 3752317 | 1923453 | 358767 | 332053 | 199252 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Afghanistan as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Afghanistan
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
Where do Afghans move to?
Most Afghans have moved to Iran, Pakistan and Germany — these three countries account for about 80% of all Afghans living abroad.
How many Afghans live abroad?
Around 7.5M Afghans live abroad, making it the #9-largest emigrant population in the world.
What share of the population of Afghanistan lives abroad?
About 18% of the population of Afghanistan lives abroad — that's 7.5M out of a total population of 42.6M.
How has emigration from Afghanistan changed over the past decade?
Over the past decade, the emigrant population from Afghanistan has grown from 5.2M to 7.5M people, a growth of about 45%.
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Living in Afghanistan
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