1.5 million people fled Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
62% confidence
MigrationAfghanistan
Omissions
The claim does not specify whether '1.5 million' refers to new cross-border refugees, internally displaced persons, evacuees, or a combination — these are distinct populations tracked separately by UNHCR and IOM.
The time frame is ambiguous: 'when the Taliban returned to power' could mean the immediate exodus of August–December 2021, the full calendar year 2021, or the entire period since August 2021. The total Afghan refugee population grew by approximately 3.2 million between end-2020 and end-2024, suggesting that if 'since 2021' is the intended meaning, 1.5 million may be a conservative estimate.
No primary official source (UNHCR, IOM, IDMC) was found that explicitly publishes a figure of '1.5 million' for people who fled Afghanistan specifically because of the Taliban takeover. The figure appears in journalistic contexts but often refers to pre-existing Afghan refugee populations in Pakistan/Iran before 2021.
The MEP did not cite any source for this figure, and only one secondary source (BBC) and one tertiary source (USA for UNHCR) were found with related but not precisely matching data.
Sources
PrimaryUNHCRAn estimated 3.2 million Afghans remain internally displaced from previous conflicts, while 5.2 million are refugees or Afghans in refugee-like situations in neighbouring countries and beyond.
SecondaryBBC NewsMore than 123,000 civilians were evacuated by US forces and its coalition partners after the Taliban took control of the capital on 14 August 2021. The article also notes that neighbouring countries Pakistan and Iran hosted the highest numbers of Afghan refugees, with almost 1.5 million having fled to those countries in the period before the Taliban takeover.
SecondaryUSA for UNHCRBy the end of 2024, the number of Afghan refugees reported globally was 5.8 million, accounting for one of the largest protracted refugee situations in the world. The total Afghan refugee population was approximately 2.6 million at end-2020, indicating an increase of roughly 3.2 million over four years.