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Eastern Afghanistan earthquakes

A socioeconomic crisis within a crisis

September 5^th, 2025

On 31 August 2025 at 23:47 local time, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan. The epicentre was located approximately 27 kilometres northeast of Jalalabad. In the days following there have been several significant aftershocks.

Reports indicate over 2,200 people have been killed and 3,600 injured. About 84,000 people are affected and 6,700 homes destroyed, with Kunar Province suffering the heaviest losses. Entire villages in mountainous districts such as Nurgal and Soki were reduced to rubble. Rescue operations are ongoing, but access remains severely limited due to landslides and blocked roads.

The 31 August earthquake in eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people and injured more than 3,600. Thousands of families have lost their homes.

Among the many villages devastated by the earthquakes, Sutan in Nangarhar Province offers a glimpse into the devastation. A UNDP team managed to reach this remote, mountainous area where, in a village of just 7,350 people, 12 people were killed and more than 60 injured. Some 300 homes were damaged or destroyed.

“It felt as if the sky had collapsed on me,” said Nazim, who lost all three of her children in the first earthquake. “The pain is unbearable... I could do nothing to save my children.”

Compounding crises: Poverty, displacement and vulnerability

This disaster comes at a time when Afghanistan is already grappling with overlapping humanitarian and economic crises. Earlier this year, flash floods swept through Khost and Paktia provinces, killing three people and destroying homes, farmland and infrastructure.

“The human toll is devastating,” said UNDP area manager Anatoly Balovnev, surveying the wreckage in Sutan. “The earthquake struck just after heavy rains, which had already weakened structures.”

The recurrent disasters underscore the vulnerability of rural communities, where poor infrastructure and limited disaster preparedness amplify the impact of natural hazards.

As for the challenges facing Afghanistan’s economy, UNDP economist Peter Chaudhry has described the situation as a “perfect economic storm”.

UNDP’s Afghanistan Socio-Economic Review, published earlier this year, highlighted the fragility of the country’s economy. Even before the earthquakes, 75 percent of the population was subsistence insecure, meaning they struggle to meet basic needs, with rural areas disproportionately affected.

In the Eastern Region, monthly per capita incomes average AFN 1,071 (US$15.19), among the lowest in the country. Rural households are especially vulnerable: 78 percent of individuals in rural households are subsistence insecure, compared to 63 percent in urban areas.

Women bear the brunt of these inequalities. Female-headed households face significantly higher rates of subsistence insecurity (88 percent) than male-headed households (74 percent). Structural barriers to employment and mobility continue to marginalize women economically and socially.

Returnees and strained communities

In the last two years, Afghanistan has seen a massive influx of returning migrants. Over 4 million Afghans have returned to the country since 2023, many forcibly. The eastern region, bordering Pakistan, has seen a large proportion of them. These returnees often arrive with no assets, limited access to services and few job prospects.

The earthquakes have disproportionately affected these areas of return. In districts like Nurgal (Kunar), the population has surged due to returnee inflows, placing immense pressure on shelter, food and energy resources. Many families live in cramped, unsafe housing – conditions that likely contributed to the high casualty rates.

Households with returnees have to stretch resources further (the Socio-Economic Review states that in 2024, returnee households experienced a 20 percent decline in per capita income), exacerbating poverty and overcrowding in already fragile communities. As returnees have left their host countries, they are no longer sending remittances back to their families in Afghanistan—another economic hit.

A call for inclusive recovery

The earthquakes are not just another disaster—it is a socioeconomic emergency. It has laid bare the fragility of communities living from day to day, the deep inequalities faced by women and returnees, and the urgent need for inclusive, community-driven recovery.

While immediate humanitarian assistance is critical to save lives, Afghanistan’s overlapping crises demand layered, long-term solutions. Investments in recovery and resilience are essential.

UNDP’s priorities include:

Shelter and housing: Providing safe, durable housing—especially with the cold winter approaching.
Livelihoods and jobs: Launching cash-for-work programmes to provide immediate income to affected households while clearing debris, rehabilitating infrastructure, and restoring access to water and markets.
Restoring critical infrastructure: Repairing and strengthening water supply systems, roads, health clinics and schools.
Data and coordination: Leveraging UNDP’s crisis data expertise—including satellite imagery and socioeconomic mapping—to ensure aid is targeted to those most in need.
Community-led recovery: Supporting recovery efforts that prioritize inclusion, participation and local ownership—ensuring that women, returnees and vulnerable groups are at the centre of rebuilding.

Today, the survivors of the quakes are coming to terms with their terrible losses and face an uncertain and challenging future. But with international solidarity, bridging immediate needs and laying the groundwork for long-term recovery, Afghan communities can build a future of safety and stability.

“Despite the unimaginable loss, the people of Sutan demonstrate extraordinary strength and solidarity,” Balovnev said. “Young villagers walked 13 hours on foot across the mountains to Kunar to help their neighbours who were also affected. Their spirit reflects both resilience and the urgent need for external support.”