Afghans in Pakistan
افغان مهاجرين | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| c. 1.98 million (2025 UNHCR) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Throughout the country but mainly urban areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. | |
| Languages | |
| Native: Pashto, Dari, Hazaragi Additional: Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pakistani English. | |
| Religion | |
| Majority Sunni Islam minority Shia and Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Afghan diaspora |
Afghans in Pakistan are migrants from Afghanistan—some of whom are registered in Pakistan as refugees and asylum seekers. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) provides limited protection to them. Many of them were born and raised in Pakistan during the last four decades. Additionally, there are also Special Immigrant Visa applicants awaiting to immigrate to the United States.
The Pakistani government began admitting Afghans after the beginning of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1979; by the end of 2001, there were over four million of them on the Pakistani side. While some have returned to Afghanistan many decided to stay in Pakistan.
In 2023 between 3.7 and 4.4 million Afghans were residing in Pakistan. Of these, some held the required documents to allow them legal residency in Pakistan. On 3 October 2023, Pakistan ordered that all undocumented foreigners must leave Pakistan within a month or face deportation. Many began leaving the country. As of December 2025, roughly 2 million Afghan citizens still remain in Pakistan according to government reports.