Where Afghans move
7.5M Afghans live abroad — #9 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Afghanistan? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 80% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Iran | 3752317 |
| Pakistan | 1923453 |
| Germany | 358767 |
| Türkiye | 332053 |
| United States | 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 |
| United Arab Emirates | 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
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.
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 | Türkiye | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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