One person in 70 is forcibly displaced

The number of people displaced by conflict and persecution fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade, yet 117.8 million people remain displaced globally – one in 70 people worldwide

Forcibly displaced people, 2025*
117.8m

68.6 million
Internally displaced people (IDPs)

9 million
Asylum seekers

28.5 million
Refugees under UNHCR mandate

7.2 million
Others in need of international protection

6 million
Palestine refugees under UNRWA† mandate

41.6 million
Total refugees

RETURNS: 14.7 million refugees and IDPs went back to their homes in 2025 – 50% increase on previous year and largest wave of returns recorded by UNHCR

Some 92% of returns were to just six countries

DR Congo
3.6 million
Sudan
3.6 million
Syria
3.3 million
Afghanistan
2 million
Ukraine
718,300
Myanmar
415,200

However, many returned to areas with limited services, damaged infrastructure and ongoing insecurity

*Figures may not add up to totals per category due to rounding

†United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

Sources: UNHCR, ReutersPicture: Getty Images

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