United Nations: Afghanistan’s economy is faltering with the return of refugees and damage from earthquakes and floods | Economy News

The United Nations said on Wednesday that the economic recovery in Afghanistan is deteriorating, noting that 9 out of 10 families are forced to reduce the number of meals they eat, sell their belongings, or resort to debt in order to survive, adding that the mass return of Afghans from countries of asylum is exacerbating the worst crisis the country has witnessed since the return of the Taliban to power.

According to a report issued by the United Nations Development Programme, about one in 10 Afghans living abroad were forced to return to their homeland and more than 4.5 million people have returned since 2023, most of them from Iran and Pakistan, resulting in a 10% increase in the population.

The report added that the earthquakes and floods destroyed 8,000 homes and, in addition to the drought, burdened public services “beyond their capacity to absorb.”

A survey of more than 48,000 Afghan families revealed that more than half of those returning to the country had to give up medical care in order to buy food, and that 45% of these returnees depend on unsafe water sources such as springs or unprotected wells.

The United Nations Development Program indicated that about 90% of returning families suffer from debts ranging between $373 and $900, which is up to five times the average monthly income of $100 and close to half of the per capita annual gross domestic product.

The United Nations Program warned that the absence of urgent support to enhance livelihoods and services in areas witnessing high proportions of returnees will lead to exacerbation of crises of poverty, exclusion and migration.