One in 67 people worldwide remains forcibly displaced: UNHCR report

The latest data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reveals that an estimated 123.2 million people, or one in 67 individuals worldwide, remain forcibly displaced.

This marks a rise of 7 million people, or 6 percent, compared to the figures recorded at the end of 2023. The steady climb continues a concerning 13-year trajectory of annual increases in global displacement.

However, the UNHCR noted a slight decline in early 2025, with the figure dropping to 122.1 million by the close of April.

“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,” stated UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

Out of the total number displaced, 73.5 million are internally displaced persons (IDPs)—individuals forced to flee but remaining within their national borders due to conflict or crisis. This figure has grown by 6.3 million from 2023 and now constitutes 60 percent of the total forcibly displaced population.

In Gaza, UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) estimates that nearly 90 percent of residents—more than two million people—have been uprooted amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal war.

The number of refugees globally stood at 42.7 million as of 2024, reflecting a decrease of approximately 613,600 from the previous year. Of these, 31 million are protected under UNHCR’s mandate, 5.9 million are Palestinian refugees supported by UNRWA, and another 5.9 million fall under international protection needs.

The drop in refugee figures has been attributed to revised assessments of Syrian and Afghan refugee numbers, along with updated data on those displaced from Ukraine. However, the Sudanese refugee population saw a sharp rise, growing by nearly 600,000, bringing the total to 2.1 million.

Meanwhile, the number of asylum seekers—those seeking refuge abroad due to threats or persecution—has reached 8.4 million, up 22 percent from last year.

The current displacement ratio underscores the scale of the crisis: one in 67 people worldwide is forcibly displaced.

The Refugee Convention, established in 1951 following World War II to safeguard the rights of European refugees, was broadened in 1967 to address global displacement. At its inception, the convention accounted for 2.1 million refugees. This number surpassed 10 million by 1980, largely due to conflicts in Afghanistan and Ethiopia, and then doubled again to 20 million by 1990.

For nearly twenty years, refugee statistics remained relatively stable. But the post-2001 period, marked by the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, along with the civil wars in Syria and South Sudan, pushed refugee numbers beyond 30 million by the close of 2021.

The onset of the war in Ukraine in 2022 triggered one of the most rapid refugee crises since World War II, with 5.7 million people fleeing in under 12 months. By the end of 2023, six million Ukrainians were still displaced.

Internally displaced populations have doubled over the past decade, with a sharp spike since 2020. Sudan now leads the world in displacement, with 14.3 million people forced from their homes by the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. This represents an increase of 3.5 million compared to the previous year.

As of 2024, the largest displaced populations include Sudanese (14.3 million), Syrians (13.5 million), Afghans (10.3 million), and Ukrainians (8.8 million), collectively comprising more than one-third of all displaced people globally.

In 2024 alone, 1.6 million refugees returned to their home countries.

“However, many of these refugees returned to Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan or Ukraine, despite the fragile situations in each,” said UNHCR’s media head, Matthew Saltmarsh. “Returns to places in conflict or instability are far from ideal and often unsustainable.”

That same year, 8.2 million IDPs were able to return to their areas of origin.

The UNHCR reported that 90 percent of all refugee and IDP returns occurred in just eight countries: Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Lebanon, Myanmar, and Ethiopia.

“Large IDP returns during the year were also registered in several countries that simultaneously saw significant new displacements, such as the DRC (2.4 million), Myanmar (378,000), Syria (514,000), or Ukraine (782,000),” Saltmarsh added.

Despite the grim realities, Grandi offered a note of cautious optimism: “Even amid the devastating cuts, we have seen some rays of hope over the last six months. 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.”