DID Press: Afghanistan has become the world’s leading source of exiled journalists since the Taliban’s return to power, according to a new report by Reporters Without Borders, which says hundreds of Afghan media professionals continue to face threats, displacement, and uncertainty.
Marking World Refugee Day, RSF reported that 677 Afghan journalists have been forced to leave the country with the organization’s support since 2021.
According to the report, Afghan nationals account for nearly half of the 1,468 journalists who fled their countries between 2021 and 2025 due to threats, detention, persecution, or risks to their lives. These journalists are now living across 28 countries, forming one of the largest waves of forced journalist displacement in recent history.
The report notes that the peak of journalist departures from Afghanistan occurred in 2022, when 183 journalists left the country. The outflow has continued despite the passage of several years since the Taliban takeover, with an additional 82 journalists reportedly leaving Afghanistan in 2025 alone.
RSF warned that many Afghan journalists remain vulnerable even after relocation. In particular, the organization highlighted concerns in Pakistan, where deportation policies affecting Afghan migrants have placed some journalists at risk of being returned to Afghanistan, while others have already been expelled.
The organization also said that increasing restrictions on media activities and public freedoms have significantly narrowed the options available to journalists inside Afghanistan, forcing many to choose between abandoning their profession, leaving the country, or facing possible detention.
According to RSF’s latest figures, Afghanistan ranks first globally in the number of exiled journalists, followed by Russia and Myanmar.