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.

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

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.