Kabul, Oct 14 : The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Thursday announced that it has provided assistance to thousands of needy people across Afghanistan. On Wednesday, the UNHCR in collaboration with a number of aid agencies provided essential household items to a total of 4,506 people in Kabul, Kandahar, Kunduz and Balkh provinces, the UNHCR Afghanistan said in a Twitter post. "In Herat (province) we provided cash grants to 665 persons to meet basic needs, and in Kabul and Herat 973 persons received cash for rent," the agency said. The UN agencies together with aid agencies and a number of non-governmental organisations are racing against time to deliver life-saving aid and supplies to crisis-hit Afghans ahead of winter, reports Xinhua news agency. The economic situation worsens in Afghanistan with higher unemployment rate and rising poverty. Afghans make up one of the largest refugee populations worldwide. There are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world, of whom 2.2 million are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone, according to the UNHCR. Another 3.5 million people are internally displaced, having fled their homes searching for refuge within the country. In light of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in 2021, the number of people fleeing will likely continue to rise, the Agency added. /IANS