Geneva: Forced displacement has affected at least 123.2 million people worldwide, equivalent to one in every 67 individuals, according to a comprehensive report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
This figure reflects a 7 million increase of about 6 percent since the end of 2023, extending a 13-year trend of rising global displacement due to conflict, persecution, and crises.
UNHCR observed a slight decline in displacement numbers in the early part of 2025, estimating 122.1 million displaced individuals by the end of April. However, the overall trajectory remains upward, driven by intensifying violence and instability worldwide.
NEWS: #GlobalTrends is out!
▪️Number of people forced to flee is at 122.1 million.
▪️Main drivers are large conflicts like Sudan, Myanmar & Ukraine.
▪️Funding faces brutal cuts.Rays of hope: ~2 million Syrians have been able to return home.
ℹ️ https://t.co/hC30WvMwHj pic.twitter.com/2hcZXpapq8
— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) June 12, 2025
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) make up the majority, totaling 73.5 million, up 6.3 million from the previous year. These are individuals who remain within their own countries but have been forced from their homes due to war or disasters.
Notably, Gaza remains one of the hardest-hit regions, with the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) estimating that 90 percent of Gaza’s population over two million people, have been displaced amid Israel’s ongoing assault.
As of 2024, the total number of refugees worldwide stood at 42.7 million, which includes:
- 31 million under UNHCR’s direct mandate,
- 5.9 million Palestinian refugees under UNRWA, and
- Another 5.9 million requiring international protection.
This overall number marked a decrease of 613,600 from 2023, primarily due to updated assessments of Afghan, Syrian, and Ukrainian refugee populations. However, there was a sharp increase in Sudanese refugees, with numbers rising by nearly 600,000 to 2.1 million.
Additionally, 8.4 million people are currently awaiting decisions on their asylum applications, representing a 22 percent increase from the previous year.
“We are living in a time of intense volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering. We must redouble our efforts to search for peace and find long-lasting solutions for refugees and others forced to flee their homes,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
History of forced displacement
The history of forced displacement reflects how this global crisis has escalated. When the 1951 Refugee Convention was established post-World War II, only 2.1 million refugees were recorded.
This number crossed 10 million by 1980, largely due to conflicts in Afghanistan and Ethiopia, and surged past 20 million by 1990. Events such as the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as civil wars in Syria and South Sudan, further drove refugee numbers above 30 million by 2021.
The war in Ukraine, beginning in 2022, sparked one of the fastest-growing displacement crises since WWII, with 5.7 million refugees fleeing in under a year. By the end of 2023, six million Ukrainians remained displaced.
Forced displacement within countries
Displacement within countries has also escalated. In the past decade, the number of IDPs has doubled, with a particularly sharp rise since 2020.
The ongoing conflict in Sudan, between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, has created the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 14.3 million Sudanese displaced by the end of 2024, 3.5 million more than in 2023.
In 2024, the largest numbers of displaced people originated from Sudan (14.3 million), Syria (13.5 million), Afghanistan (10.3 million), and Ukraine (8.8 million), underscoring the immense human cost of ongoing conflicts.
Despite the challenges, return movements provided a glimmer of hope, with 1.6 million refugees returning to their home countries, many of which remain unstable or in conflict, including Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, and Ukraine. Additionally, 8.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) were able to return to their places of origin.
Most returns occurred in just eight countries: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Lebanon, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine. Notably, some of these countries simultaneously recorded new displacements, such as the DRC (2.4 million), Myanmar (378,000), Syria (514,000), and Ukraine (782,000).
UNHCR’s media head Matthew Saltmarsh emphasized the complexity of these movements, noting that returns to unstable areas are often unsustainable. Still, Grandi pointed to a positive development that, “Nearly two million Syrians have been able to return home after over a decade uprooted. The country remains fragile, and people need our help to rebuild their lives again.”
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