Quality of Life of Afghan Immigrants in Tehran city
| Author | Seyed Abbas Rajaei,Hossein Mansourian |
| Date | 01 April 2018 |
| Published date | 01 April 2018 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12422 |
Quality of Life of Afghan Immigrants in
Tehran city
Hossein Mansourian* and Seyed Abbas Rajaei*
ABSTRACT
By 2015, there were more than two million Afghan immigrants, both legal and illegal, living
in Iran. Although, over the recent years, there has been a growing interest among social scien-
tists, policymakers and national and international institutes in investigation of the quality of
life (QoL) of immigrants, research on the QoL of Afghan immigrants in Iran is still in its
infancy. The present article aims to study the QoL of Afghan immigrants in Iran and identify
its influential dimensions and factors. This study relies on a perception survey of 347 Afghan
households in Tehran city. Based on the 5-point Likert Scale, the mean of overall life satisfac-
tion of the Afghan immigrants was found as 3.22, which shows satisfactory QoL of Afghan
immigrants in Iran. The highest level of satisfaction, with a mean value of 3.96, is related to
public transport access followed by satisfaction in social relations with friends, relatives and
fellow immigrants living in Iran, and access to cultural centres such as the mosque, library,
and cinema. The lowest level of satisfaction, with a mean value of 1.90, was seen at border
services like entry and exit from Iran, followed by the Iranian government policy towards
Afghan refugees, and saving abilities. In addition, the most important predictors of immi-
grants’QoL include indicators of health, security, work status, and income, which are closely
interrelated with the main reasons for Afghans’immigration to Iran. After immigration to Iran,
the QoL status of the immigrants has improved significantly, especially in the fields of security
and education; nevertheless, their employment in jobs with low skill and income, along with
the decrease in the economic growth of Iran over the recent years, have caused problems for
the economic and financial status of the immigrants. The results and findings of this study will
be useful for designing and implementing plans and policies necessary to improve QoL of
Afghan immigrants in Iran.
INTRODUCTION
The number of international migrants reached 244 million in 2015 all over the world, an increase
of 71 million, compared to 2000 (UN-DESA, 2016). Migration is the result of numerous factors;
many migrate in search of greater opportunities, to earn a better living, to live in a more agreeable
environment or to join family or friends abroad (IOM, 2013). Of course, a considerable portion of
migrants do not choose to move but are forced to flee their homes against their will (IOM, 2013).
In 2014, the total number of refugees in the world was estimated at 19.5 million, representing
about 8 per cent of all international migrants (UNHCR, 2015). In this year, Turkey, Pakistan, Leba-
non and Iran became the largest refugee-hosting countries worldwide and more than half (53%) of
refugees under UNHCR’s mandate come from just three countries: Syrian, Afghanistan, and Soma-
lia (UNHCR, 2015).
* University of Tehran
doi: 10.1111/imig.12422
©2017 The Authors
International Migration ©2017 IOM
International Migration Vol. 56 (2) 2018
ISSN 0020-7985Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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