Afghan diaspora refers to Afghan people who live outside of Afghanistan. These include citizens who have immigrated to other countries, or people of Afghan origin who are born outside Afghanistan. The vast majority of the diaspora has been formed by Afghan refugees of war since the start of the Soviet-Afghan War in 1979; the largest numbers reside in Iran and Pakistan, together hosting over 2 million Afghans of which most have been resident ever since the Soviet-Afghan War. Apart from these, the largest communities exist in the United States, Germany, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.