Afghanistan’s rapid urbanization, fueled by internal displacement, forced returns, and a worsening economic crisis, continues to intensify gender inequalities in urban and peri-urban informal settlements across the country. Data collected through UN-Habitat surveys conducted in communities with high representation of marginalized populations shows that the enabling environment potential of urban areas is not narrowing damaging gender gaps but, rather, widening them.
Under current De Facto Authority (DFA) rule, nearly all traditional avenues for women’s and girls’ safety, dignity and empowerment in Afghanistan have been dismantled, from formal education, freedom of movement in public spaces and employment, to public participation and civic leadership. For women and girls in urban informal settlement areas in particular, these restrictions intersect with a unique set of vulnerabilities—including insecure housing and land rights, unsafe public spaces, limited access to WASH services, and shrinking livelihood opportunities—to compound the inequality.
These findings complement recent reports from, amongst other partners, UN Women. In this factsheet, UN-Habitat Afghanistan presents findings informed by key trends in data collected from community-level project implementation between 2023 and 2025 in the cities of Herat, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar and Nangarhar. The findings illustrate ten specific areas of widening inequality impacting women and girls living in urban and peri-urban informal settlement areas across the country and provide critical insights for future interventions and project design.
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