Afghanistan: Immigrant Stories

Afghan Immigrants in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD Metro Areas

There are approximately 17,700 Afghan immigrants living in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD metro areas. The largest numbers of Afghan immigrants are found in Fairfax County, VA (6,863), Prince William County, VA (3,919) and Alexandria City, VA (1,832). Forty-nine percent of Afghan immigrants are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared to 53 percent for all other foreign-born individuals. NOTE: This data does not include new Afghan immigrants or refugees who have arrived in the United States since 2019.

afghan map

Do you want to learn more about Afghan immigrants in the Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD metro areas?

Click here for Fact Sheet (UPDATED)

Click here for Analysis (UPDATED)

 

Meet an Afghan Immigrant

Nasreen was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. She left Afghanistan when she was 16 years old following the Russian invasion of 1979. Nasreen’s family was cosmopolitan and was close to the last king of Afghanistan. She remembers that her family met frequently with diplomats and other international visitors. Her grandfather was a politician. During the Russian-Afghan War, Nasreen’s family was threatened. Nasreen arrived in California with her sister, nephew, and her brother-in-law when she was 18 years old. Currently, Nasreen lives in the Washington, DC metro area and works as a teacher. 

Click here for Interview