Post-Return Practices and Experiences: WP8 Comparative Report – Survey Study: Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Tunisia

The key objectives of this comparative survey report are to identify similarities and differences in structural conditions, demographic profiles, and return and reintegration experiences, including levels of hope and resilience during the reintegration phase across four key returnee countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, and Tunisia. The analysis is based on data from1118 returnee interviews conducted across afore mentioned four countries. Despite geographical and structural differences finding suggested most returnees were forcibly returned and experienced detentions in host countries before being returned to their countries of habitual residence. Yet, returnees across these countries exhibited distinct demographic profiles: Afghanistan had the highest share of young, married, and economically active returnees, while Nigeria had the largest proportion of older returnees, and Tunisia had the lowest proportion of married returnees. These demographic differences suggest variation in returnees’ experiences and reintegration trajectories, including condition under which hope and resilience are developed and maintained. Moreover, structural conditions that shape access to state and non-state reintegration assistance differently affect reintegration processes across the four countries. This report makes a significant contribution to return migration scholarship by documenting returnees’ lived experiences and reintegration trajectories in the Global South.