Iran

This map shows the geographic distribution of refugees in Iran. The map uses the proportions from the 2015 Amayesh registration applied to data from 2020

The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

Afghan Voluntary Repatriation (UNHCR assisted return) in 2025 JSON 
294
Last updated 31 Mar 2025
Source - UNHCR 

* Out of the total number of repatriated refugees the majority are Afghans. See breakdown of nationalities below

Loading Number of Voluntary Repratriation per month

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  Latest Documents
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    UNHCR Regional Appeal: Returns from Iran & Pakistan to Afghanistan

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    Publish date: 2 May 2025 (2 days ago)
    Create date: 2 May 2025 (2 days ago)
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    Iran-Afghanistan - Returns Emergency Response #4

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    Create date: 21 April 2025 (13 days ago)
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    Publish date: 31 July 2021 (3 years ago)
    Create date: 2 August 2021 (3 years ago)
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    Publish date: 30 June 2022 (2 years ago)
    Create date: 18 July 2022 (2 years ago)
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    Publish date: 13 January 2022 (3 years ago)
    Create date: 15 January 2022 (3 years ago)
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    UNHCR Iran: Afghanistan Situation Update - 06 January 2022

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    Publish date: 6 January 2022 (3 years ago)
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    UNHCR Iran: Afghanistan Situation Update - 30 December 2021

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    Publish date: 30 December 2021 (3 years ago)
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    Publish date: 18 December 2021 (3 years ago)
    Create date: 18 December 2021 (3 years ago)
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    Publish date: 9 December 2021 (3 years ago)
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    Create date: 16 May 2021 (3 years ago)
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    Create date: 18 March 2021 (4 years ago)
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    Publish date: 31 January 2025 (3 months ago)
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    Create date: 27 January 2025 (3 months ago)
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    Publish date: 19 November 2024 (5 months ago)
    Create date: 19 November 2024 (5 months ago)
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    UNHCR Afghanistan Border Monitoring Report January-June 2024

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    Publish date: 15 August 2024 (8 months ago)
    Create date: 15 August 2024 (8 months ago)
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    UNHCR Afghanistan Border Monitoring Report January-December 2023

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    Publish date: 25 April 2024 (1 year ago)
    Create date: 25 April 2024 (1 year ago)
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    UNHCR Afghanistan Voluntary Repatriation update 2022

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    Iran-Afghanistan - Returns Emergency Response #4

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    Create date: 1 May 2025 (3 days ago)
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    Iran-Afghanistan - Returns Emergency Response #3

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    Publish date: 31 March 2025 (1 month ago)
    Create date: 21 April 2025 (13 days ago)
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    Create date: 10 March 2025 (1 month ago)
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    Iran Situation monthly update Jan 25

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    Publish date: 31 January 2025 (3 months ago)
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    Publish date: 31 January 2025 (3 months ago)
    Create date: 22 April 2025 (12 days ago)
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    Create date: 17 May 2023 (1 year ago)
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    UNHCR RBAP 2022 Cash-Based Interventions in the Region

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    Publish date: 19 April 2023 (2 years ago)
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    UNHCR Iran: Afghanistan Situation Update - 30 April 2022

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    Publish date: 9 December 2020 (4 years ago)
    Create date: 25 February 2021 (4 years ago)
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    Publish date: 20 July 2020 (4 years ago)
    Create date: 28 March 2017 (8 years ago)
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    Map in Adobe Acrobat format related to a UNHCR operation
    Publish date: 20 July 2020 (4 years ago)
    Create date: 18 February 2011 (14 years ago)
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    Map in Adobe Acrobat format related to a UNHCR operation
    Publish date: 20 July 2020 (4 years ago)
    Create date: 18 February 2011 (14 years ago)
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    Document
    Map in Adobe Acrobat format related to a UNHCR operation
    Publish date: 20 July 2020 (4 years ago)
    Create date: 18 February 2011 (14 years ago)
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    Document
    Map in Adobe Acrobat format related to a UNHCR operation
    Publish date: 20 July 2020 (4 years ago)
    Create date: 18 February 2011 (14 years ago)
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    Document
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    Publish date: 20 July 2020 (4 years ago)
    Create date: 18 February 2011 (14 years ago)
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    Map in Adobe Acrobat format related to a UNHCR operation
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    Create date: 18 February 2011 (14 years ago)
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    Create date: 18 August 2024 (8 months ago)
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    Create date: 26 June 2024 (10 months ago)
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    Publish date: 11 March 2024 (1 year ago)
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    Regional Refugee Response Plan for Afghanistan Situation Summary 2024

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    Publish date: 19 January 2024 (1 year ago)
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    Afghanistan Situation RRP - Mid-year Report 2023

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    Regional Refugee Response Plan 2023 - Afghanistan Situation

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    Publish date: 16 March 2023 (2 years ago)
    Create date: 16 March 2023 (2 years ago)
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    Afghanistan Regional Refugee Response Plan Summary 2023

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  • Overview of Iran operation

    As of April 2025, UNHCR estimates that the Islamic Republic of Iran hosts approximately 3.49 million refugees and individuals in refugee-like situations, potentially in need of international protection. This underscores Iran’s longstanding generosity in accommodating refugees for over 40 years, including those who arrived following the 2021 developments in Afghanistan.
    This figure, set to be highlighted in the UNHCR Global Trends report in June 2025, positions Iran as one of the largest refugee-hosting countries globally. The total includes 770,000 refugees recognized by the Government, comprising 758,000 Afghan Amayesh card holders and 12,000 Iraqi Hoviat card holders, alongside 2.72 million individuals in refugee-like situations. Notably, 99% of these populations reside in urban areas, with the remaining 1% living in 20 government-run refugee settlements. The result of the last verification exercise, Amayesh 18, conducted by the government between December 2024 and February 2025, indicates that the total Amayesh population in Iran remains static, although no official statistics were available to UNHCR at the time of reporting.
    Iran is a signatory to the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol since July 1976, but the domestic legislation and ad hoc government initiatives have resulted in a variety of documentation statuses for forcibly displaced persons, leading to differing levels of protection and access to rights. Following a 2022 headcount exercise, the Government of Iran granted temporary protection and access to certain state-provided services to approximately 2.6 million Afghan nationals who registered, including those who arrived before or after the 2021 events, regularly or irregularly.
    In March 2025, Iran initiated a regularization exercise of the foreign nationals in the country holding headcount slips. The extension of their legal stay in the country is guided by a number of exemptions, among others, mixed documentation status families, profiles at risk upon return (e.g., former military and government officials), and those with children attending primary and secondary education in Iran. Headcount Slip holders who do not meet these criteria are advised to return to Afghanistan voluntarily to avoid deportation, which would be accompanied by a 5-year ban, and to apply for a (work) visa to return to Iran.
    Since 2012, in the framework of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), UNHCR has collaborated closely with the Government of Iran, national and international NGOs, and UN agencies to seek solutions and provide a range of services to the forcibly displaced population. UNHCR leads the development and implementation of Refugee Response Plans (RRPs) to ensure coordinated and complementary assistance among humanitarian partners.
    UNHCR continues to support the Government in providing refugees access to education, health and livelihoods. In addition, UNHCR provides individual protection interventions such as legal and psychosocial counseling, Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) to the most vulnerable families, Universal Public Health Insurance (UPHI) for vulnerable Refugees, DAFI scholarships for students in tertiary education, procurement of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, livelihoods and vocational training, and support to income-generating activities. UNHCR maintains regular contact with the persons we serve through various channels of Communication with Communities as part of Accountability to Affected Population and addresses their specific protection risks.
    Return and resettlement remains crucial solutions for refugees. UNHCR takes a cautious approach towards returns through enhanced counseling under its UNHCR-supported voluntary repatriation program. The non-return advisory to Afghanistan remains in place and Afghan nationals in Iran are predominantly considered to be in a refugee situation regardless of their legal status. In the spirit of international responsibility-sharing, UNHCR Iran collaborates with states offering resettlement, to secure limited but lifesaving resettlement options for Afghan refugees in Iran. Despite these efforts, concerns persist over complex protection risks and the increasing needs and vulnerabilities of refugees, compounded by a challenging economic situation that requires robust international responsibility sharing.

    Registered Refugees in Iran JSON 
    770,514
    Last updated 31 Mar 2025
    Source - Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (GIRI) 
    Reported newly arrived Afghans in need of international protection (since 1 January 2021) JSON 
    90,247
    Last updated 31 Mar 2024
    Source - UNHCR 
    Iran demograpic breakdown
    Funding UNHCR Iran (2025)
    14000,00 US$
    Total appeal
    Date of Funding Data 31 March 2025 (1 month ago)
      Highlights
    The updated Education Brief presents a critical analysis of the education needs of Afghan refugees and host communities in Iran, emphasizing the need for greater international support. With millions of forcibly displaced persons in Iran, including many Afghan children, the country’s national education system is under significant strain. Overcrowded classrooms and limited school infrastructure have led to reduced enrolment capacity, particularly affecting undocumented children and girls. This Brief outlines how Iran’s inclusive policies have provided educational opportunities aligned with international human rights standards, yet more assistance is needed. It calls on donors to scale up responsibility-sharing to avoid a lost generation. Anchored in the Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) and the Global Refugee Forum commitments, the Brief also details a $119.3 million appeal by seven humanitarian organizations to improve education access, quality, and life-long learning pathways. By showcasing Iran as a viable alternative for continued education, especially for Afghan girls and youth, the Brief positions education as a catalyst for resilience, co-existence, and durable solutions. It highlights how investment in education contributes to well-being, economic empowerment, and the voluntary return of refugees, while strengthening community ties between Afghans and Iranians.
    31 Jan 2025
    UNHCR and the European Union have signed a new agreement to continue to support displaced Afghans and host communities in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and countries in Central Asia. With substantial EU funding of EUR 36 million, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees, returnees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) will benefit from essential protection, access to healthcare, education, livelihood opportunities, and other basic services from 2025 to 2027.
    17 Jan 2025
    A new contribution of USD 500,000 from the Government and the People of Japan enhances access to essential primary healthcare for Afghan refugees and their host communities in Iran. Through continued collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, UNHCR aims to support health posts across 27 refugee-hosting provinces with vital medicines, medical equipment, and personnel costs. This initiative will ensure the continued provision of free, quality health services, particularly benefiting women and girls who make up 60% of the beneficiaries. Over 3.2 million health consultations are expected during the 10-month period. The initiative demonstrates Japan’s continuous, strong commitment to refugee protection and shared international responsibility, helping Iran maintain its long-standing inclusive approach despite economic challenges.
    12 Dec 2024
    Over 50,000 refugees and thousands of Iranians in 11 settlements and four refugee-populated neighborhoods in Iran are benefiting from the installation of 3,601 solar-powered streetlights. Implemented by UNHCR in partnership with the National Organization for Migration, the project has significantly enhanced nighttime safety, particularly for women and children. The initiative also boosts community life and local businesses by extending activity hours after sunset. "Our children can now play at night," shared Zahra Khavari, an Afghan refugee. The lights reduce 152.5 tons of CO₂ annually and are part of UNHCR’s Strategic Plan for Climate Action. Refugees participated in the installation, fostering ownership and local engagement. The project underscores Iran and UNHCR’s long-standing commitment to sustainable refugee support and environmental responsibility.
    05 Nov 2024
    Contact Information

    Please contact the following focal point

    Type of Inquiry Contact
    External Relations UNHCR Iran External Engagement
    irnteer@unhcr.org

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