MigrantoMigration trends in Afghanistan
Asia
Afghanistan loses more people than it takes in: 7.5M emigrants against 72.9K immigrants. Net balance −7.5M — 17% of the country's population
42.6M
Population
72.9K
Immigrants
7.5M
Emigrants
−7.5M
Outflow
1 in 585 residents of Afghanistan was born abroad — and 1 in 7 people born in Afghanistan lives abroad
#9 in the world by net migration loss
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Afghanistan
Where people come from
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
50.7K immigrants · 7.5M emigrants
1995
- The exodus eased — the diaspora shrank by 45%
- Slipped out of the 3 biggest countries by emigrants in Asia
- Emigration to Pakistan declined sharply — 2.1M fewer migrants there
2005
- Pakistan overtook Tajikistan as the largest source of new arrivals
2010
- The diaspora passed 5M people
2015
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 288%
- Surge of immigrants from Pakistan — 220.4K new arrivals
- The foreign-born population passed 100K residents
2020
- Surge of departures to Turkey — 169.7K people left
- Surge of departures to Germany — 163.7K people left
Today
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 32%
- Since 1990: roughly the same number of foreign-born residents and 51.9K more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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