Published by
DPA

A Taliban security guard plays with a whip while standing in front of Afghan men waiting outside a bank to withdraw money. Oliver Weiken/dpa

The majority of Afghans would leave their country if they had the chance, according to a survey conducted last year as the US withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban returned to power.

The poll was conducted by the US public opinion research firm Gallup between August 9 and September 29. The results, released on Monday, were based on interviews with a random sample of more than 2,000 adults aged 15 and older in Afghanistan.

The percentage of Afghans who said they wanted to leave their home country for good rose to a record high of 53% in the survey.

“This percentage, one of the highest in the world in 2021, is potentially even higher now, with millions on the brink of starvation since the Taliban’s takeover,” the research institute added.

Turkey, Germany, Canada and the United States top the list of desired destinations. The wish to migrate is strongest among men and those with at least a primary education.

Since the hardline Taliban seized power in 2021, hundreds of thousands of Afghans have fled, with many viewing the crisis-ridden country as a giant prison for its more than 30 million inhabitants.