People displaced internally by natural disasters in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: People displaced internally by natural disasters was 418,000 number of cases in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
418,000 number of cases
Change on year
up 90.0%
World rank
15th
of 146 countries
All-time high
435,000 number of cases
in 2018
All-time low
3,000 number of cases
in 2011
Years of data
16
2008–2023

People displaced internally by natural disasters in Afghanistan, 2008–2023

0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k2008201520232008: 3.4k number of cases2009: 28.0k number of cases2010: 71.0k number of cases2011: 3.0k number of cases2012: 30.0k number of cases2013: 15.0k number of cases2014: 13.0k number of cases2015: 71.0k number of cases2016: 7.4k number of cases2017: 27.0k number of cases2018: 435.0k number of cases2019: 117.0k number of cases2020: 49.0k number of cases2021: 25.0k number of cases2022: 220.0k number of cases2023: 418.0k number of cases

Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in number of cases.

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 418,000 number of cases for people displaced internally by natural disasters in 2023.

That represents a change of up 90.0% on the previous year and up 2,686.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people displaced internally by natural disasters in Afghanistan peaked at 435,000 number of cases in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3,000 number of cases, in 2011.

Afghanistan ranks 15th of 146 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 15,700 number of cases 3,400 number of cases 28,000 number of cases 2
2010s 78,940 number of cases 3,000 number of cases 435,000 number of cases 10
2020s 178,000 number of cases 25,000 number of cases 418,000 number of cases 4

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 12 Kenya 641,000 number of cases compare
  2. 13 Ethiopia 618,000 number of cases compare
  3. 14 India 528,000 number of cases compare
  4. 16 Colombia 351,000 number of cases compare
  5. 17 Yemen 240,000 number of cases compare
  6. 18 Indonesia 238,000 number of cases compare

See the full ranking of 146 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is people displaced internally by natural disasters in Afghanistan?
People displaced internally by natural disasters in Afghanistan was 418,000 number of cases in 2023, according to Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest people displaced internally by natural disasters recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 435,000 number of cases in 2018.
What is the lowest people displaced internally by natural disasters recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 3,000 number of cases in 2011.
How does Afghanistan rank for people displaced internally by natural disasters?
Afghanistan ranks 15th out of 146 countries with data for 2023.
Is people displaced internally by natural disasters rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 2,686.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People displaced internally by natural disasters. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
People displaced internally by natural disasters
Unit
number of cases
Source
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
146 places, 1,631 data points, 2008–2023
Last refreshed

Internally-displaced persons are defined as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, as a result of natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border.