A UN Women report highlights the immense economic hurdles for Afghan women returning from Iran and Pakistan, urging targeted asset investments to turn their unused skills into sustainable livelihoods.
Fewer than one in five Afghan women returning from Iran and Pakistan can earn an income in Afghanistan, contributing to rising debt and food insecurity among returnee families, a new report by UN Women in Afghanistan finds.
Despite many women having worked and gained skills while in other countries, they face a near-total collapse in job opportunities once in Afghanistan, the report shows. Nearly 40 per cent report having skills they are unable to use, including vocational, technical and digital skills.
More than three-quarters of women who worked in Iran, and nearly two-thirds of those who worked in Pakistan, are unemployed after returning to Afghanistan, according to the findings, which are based on a study conducted by researchers at Samuel Hall.
The study draws on data collected among 700 returnee women and local stakeholders, including a phone survey, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and workshops in Herat, Nangahar and Kabul provinces.
The report, After return: Rebuilding livelihoods for Afghan women, shows that the primary barriers include restrictions on women’s employment and mobility in Afghanistan, limited access to capital and tools, and weak market opportunities. More than three-quarters of returnee women have no tools or capital to generate income.
Excluded from the Workforce
Since 2023, Afghanistan has experienced an unprecedented influx of returnees from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan, many of whom have been forced back under coercive conditions. Over 5.5 million Afghans have returned in this period, adding immense pressure to a country already overwhelmed by economic, humanitarian, and climate crises. According to the study published by UN Women Afghanistan and Samuel Hall, women represent a significant portion of these returnees and face profound challenges as they attempt to reintegrate into an economy marked by severe restrictions and contracting markets.
Despite returning with a strong motivation to support their families, these women are largely excluded from the workforce. They arrive with technical, educational, and digital skills acquired in exile, yet find themselves structurally blocked from translating these abilities into income. The report underscores that the barrier to their economic participation is not a lack of capability, but rather an acute absence of enabling conditions.
A Collapse in Employment for Returnees
The report finds that the transition back to Afghanistan often triggers a near-total collapse in employment for women. The data reveals that only around 17 per cent of returnee women manage to secure work after returning. The stark reality is that 77 per cent of women who worked in Iran and 64 per cent of those who worked in Pakistan are now completely unemployed.
For the small fraction of women who do find employment, the work is overwhelmingly informal, irregular, and poorly compensated. A staggering 92.1 per cent of women’s employment is classified as vulnerable, pushing many into precarious, home-based labour. The economic fallout for these women is severe, with the median monthly income for returnee women estimated at just 1,100 AFN, or approximately 17 USD. Fifty-seven per cent of these women report earning less than they did while living in exile, underscoring a significant decline in financial stability.
The situation is particularly dire for households headed by women, which account for roughly 18 per cent of the returnee population surveyed. These households are highly vulnerable to food insecurity and debt, as their incomes tend to stagnate or decline further over time.
Unused Skills and the Capital Deficit
Contrary to assumptions that returnees lack the necessary capabilities, the UN Women report highlights a structural mismatch between the skills women possess and a constrained labour market. Nearly 40 per cent of women report having unused skills. Returnees from Iran often bring vocational expertise in tailoring, advanced machinery, and digital work, while those from Pakistan bring experiences in agriculture, traditional embroidery, and teaching.
However, the primary bottleneck preventing these women from utilizing their skills is an overwhelming deficit of capital and productive tools. Seventy-seven per cent of returnee women report having no tools whatsoever to generate an income, and a mere 9 per cent possess the adequate equipment needed for their respective trades. In this informalized economy, providing additional training without the necessary start-up capital or physical assets has proven to have only a marginal impact.
Location Over Origin: The Geography of Opportunity
One of the study’s most revealing findings is that a woman’s economic opportunities and mobility are dictated more by the province she returns to than by the country she departed from. For instance, Kabul provides a relatively permissive environment with greater autonomy. In Kabul, women’s mobility is reported at 78 per cent.
Conversely, Nangarhar province presents a highly restrictive environment shaped by official limitations on movement, weak markets, and conservative social norms. Mobility in Nangarhar drops to just 53 per cent. This geographic disparity means that a woman residing in Kabul has nearly double the autonomy of a woman in Nangarhar, demonstrating that local provincial conditions ultimately dictate a returnee’s ability to navigate the economy.
Navigating Social Cohesion and Market Saturation
As millions return, the relationship between host communities and returnees remains fragile. Both groups of women are often forced to compete in the same saturated, low-value sectors – such as home-based tailoring and food processing. This scarcity of resources has fuelled early signs of tension, with some host community members blaming returnees for rising rent prices and job competition.
The report warns that interventions targeting only returnee women could exacerbate these divisions. Instead, shared economic spaces where host and returnee women work collaboratively have shown strong potential for reducing tensions. Joint workshops and mentoring programs not only foster solidarity but also allow returnees to integrate into the local economic networks they desperately need.
Strategies for Sustainable Reintegration
To combat these intersecting crises, the report outlines a series of pragmatic recommendations for national and international stakeholders. A crucial pivot is required: shifting the focus from simply accumulating more skills to activating existing capacities through the provision of productive assets. Supplying women with graduated asset packages – such as sewing machines or food processing kits – allows them to generate income safely.
Furthermore, establishing secure, women-only workspaces is deemed non-negotiable. These collective hubs reduce the isolation of home-based work, boost productivity, and provide a protective environment that individual women cannot achieve alone. Connecting these producers to domestic and regional markets is also vital to prevent them from remaining trapped in subsistence-level local economies.
Ultimately, supporting the economic participation of Afghan women returnees is not just about individual survival; it is essential for the broader recovery and stability of Afghanistan’s communities. With targeted, inclusive investments, these women can move beyond displacement and rebuild their livelihoods with agency and dignity.
