Afghanistan’s economic recovery is buckling as nine in 10 households are forced to skip meals, sell belongings or take on debt to survive, the United Nations said on Wednesday, warning that mass returns are exacerbating the country’s worst crisis since the Islamic Emirate returned to power.

A United Nations Development Programme report said nearly one in 10 overseas Afghans has been forced back home, with more than 4.5 million returnees since 2023, mainly from Iran and Pakistan, swelling the population by 10%. On top of that, earthquakes, floods and drought have destroyed 8,000 homes and strained public services “beyond their limits,” Reuters reported.

QUAKES, FLOODS AND HUNGER

A survey of more than 48,000 households found that more than half of Afghanistan’s returnees have skipped medical care to buy food and 45% rely on open springs or unprotected wells for water.

Nearly 90% of returning Afghan families are in debt, owing $373 to $900, up to five times the average monthly income of $100 and nearly half of annual per-capita gross domestic product, the UNDP said.

In areas with high numbers of returnees, one teacher serves 70 to 100 students, 30% of children work and joblessness among returnees reaches 95%. The average monthly income is 6,623 Afghanis ($99.76), while rents have tripled.

The UNDP warned that without urgent support to strengthen livelihoods and services in high-return areas, overlapping crises of poverty, exclusion and migration will deepen.

It said sustaining aid is critical as donor pledges have plunged since 2021, covering only a fraction of the $3.1 billion that the UN sought for Afghanistan this year.

The Taliban government appealed for international humanitarian assistance after a deadly quake struck eastern Afghanistan in September and it has formally protested Pakistan’s mass expulsion of Afghan nationals, saying it is “deeply concerned” about their treatment.

WOMEN BEAR THE BRUNT

Participation by women in Afghanistan’s labour force has fallen to 6%, one of the lowest globally, and restrictions on movement have made it nearly impossible for women who head households to access jobs, education or healthcare.

Kanni Wignaraja, UN assistant secretary-general and UNDP regional director for Asia and the Pacific, said, “In some provinces one in four households depend on women as the main breadwinner, so when women are prevented from working, families, communities, the country lose out.”

Households headed by women, accounting for as many as 26% of returnee families in some districts, face the highest risk of food insecurity and secondary displacement.

The UNDP urged donors to allocate more resources and called on the Islamic Emirate authorities to lift restrictions on female aid staff.

“Cutting women out of frontline aid work means cutting off vital services for those who need them most,” Wignaraja said.

Nearly nine in ten Afghan families are going hungry or sinking deeper into debt, as millions of new returnees stretch scarce resources across poverty-hit provinces in Afghanistan’s east and north, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warned on Wednesday.

Afghanistan, battered by aid cuts, sanctions, and a series of natural disasters, is struggling to absorb the return of more than 4.5 million Afghans since 2023 — including 1.5 million expelled this year from Pakistan and Iran, which have intensified deportations of undocumented migrants.

According to the UNDP’s latest assessment, 90 percent of returnee families are now taking on debt to afford food, healthcare, or rent. Over half of returnee households report skipping medical care to feed their families. Average household debts range between $373 and $900, while the average monthly income hovers around $100, the report said.

The mass returns have compounded Afghanistan’s economic and humanitarian crisis, already among the world’s worst. Housing shortages have worsened sharply, with rents tripling in many areas. More than half of returnees report insufficient living space or bedding, while 18 percent have been displaced twice within the past year. In western districts such as Injil and Guzara, the UNDP found that most returnees were sheltering in tents or crumbling structures.

UNDP Resident Representative Stephen Rodriques called for urgent, “area-based recovery” initiatives that link livelihoods, housing, and services to help communities under strain.

“By linking income opportunities, basic services, housing and social cohesion, it is possible to ease pressure on high-return districts and reduce the risk of secondary displacement,” he said.

International assistance to Afghanistan has plummeted since 2021, and the UN’s $3.1 billion humanitarian appeal for 2025 remains less than half funded. The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly appealed for global support and condemned Pakistan’s mass expulsions, saying it is “deeply concerned” over the treatment of Afghan nationals.

The UNDP report also highlights the worsening exclusion of women from the workforce, warning that restrictions on female employment are undermining family survival and economic recovery.

Only six percent of Afghan women are currently participating in the labor force — one of the lowest rates in the world, the report stated.