make an informative summary paragraph wise exclusing all the bullet points sub headings and internal links:UNHCR continues to report significant numbers of Afghans returning or being forced to return from neighbouring countries under extremely challenging conditions. So far in 2026, nearly 150,000 Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan, adding to the unprecedented 2.9 million returns in 2025, bringing the total to approximately 5.4 million since October 2023. The rapid scale of these returns has intensified Afghanistan’s crisis, exacerbating an already fragile economy, worsening humanitarian and human rights conditions—especially for women and girls—and compounding the impact of recurring natural disasters. A World Bank report noted that the sudden population growth due to these returns contributed to a 4 per cent decline in GDP per capita in 2025.
Returnees face severe hardships, particularly during the harsh winter, with freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall across much of the country. UNHCR surveys reveal that just over half of returnees have managed to find some form of employment, often informal, while for women this drops to less than a quarter. More than half of returnee families lack civil documentation, and over 90 per cent live on less than $5 a day. These conditions have led some returnees to consider leaving Afghanistan again, though the majority are compelled by necessity rather than choice, indicating the difficulty of rebuilding viable and dignified lives.
Despite the challenges, there are signs of hope. Returnees from 2025 generally possess higher levels of education and labour market experience, offering potential to contribute to stabilization if sustainable livelihood opportunities are available. UNHCR’s 2026 focus is on reintegration, providing protection services, housing, and livelihood support, with particular attention to women, leveraging decades of presence and experience in Afghanistan. The agency is coordinating with other UN bodies to monitor the regional situation, where asylum space is shrinking and regulated migration pathways are narrowing, forcing many Afghans to undertake dangerous journeys.
Given the rapid population increase and dire humanitarian situation, UNHCR emphasizes the urgent need for additional support in 2026. The agency requires $216 million to assist displaced people and returnees across Afghanistan, yet funding currently covers only 8 per cent of this need. UNHCR stresses that this is a critical moment to act, providing long-term solutions and enabling returnees—many of whom spent years or decades in exile—to rebuild their lives with dignity, stability, and hope.
