Iran has forcibly deported more than 492,000 Afghans since the start of 2026, the UN refugee agency said, Pajhwok Afghan News says.

The deportations are part of the wider departure from Iran of an estimated 581,600 Afghans who left Iran since the start of the year. That means 85% of this year's returnees were expelled rather than leaving by choice. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said the influx was straining housing, basic services and job prospects in Afghanistan and adding to the burden on the communities receiving them. The flow follows 2025, when more than 1.9mn Afghans left Iran, roughly 1,261,600 of them through forced removal.

The agency's latest report, released on October 8, showed that 475,400 people crossed back into Afghanistan after February 28. Of these, 398,100 had been deported.

Among Afghans returning from Iran since early 2025, women and children made up 39%, with children alone accounting for 27%, the UNHCR said. Its findings showed that 67% of returning household heads had never had formal education and half had no job skills.

Herat was the most common destination at 21% of returnees. Kabul followed at 10%, then Farah at 8%, Kunduz at 7% and Nimroz at 5%.

The UNHCR said it had scaled up its operations at both border points. It has helped more than 32,670 returning households in 2026. It also gave essential relief kits to 2,345 households and provided transport for 874 people. Hot meals reached 205,658 returnees over the same period.

Inside Iran, the agency has assisted 364,900 Afghan refugees since February 28. Of these, 9,230 received multipurpose cash support.

The UNHCR called on the international community to provide flexible and sustained backing. It said the scale of the returns and mounting humanitarian needs made such support essential.