Key facts
- Global forced displacement decreased in 2025 for the first time in a decade, according to the UNHCR.
- A total of 117.8 million people were forcibly displaced by conflict, violence, or persecution by the end of 2025.
- The number of refugees and internally displaced people returning home increased significantly in 2025.
- Many refugees remain in protracted displacement, living in exile for five years or more.
- The UNHCR aims to halve the number of refugees dependent on humanitarian aid by 2035.
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported that forced displacement due to conflict or persecution fell in 2025, marking the first decrease in a decade. However, the agency warned that the total number of forcibly displaced people globally remains alarmingly high at 117.8 million.
The decline is partly attributed to an increase in people returning to their home countries and refugees acquiring citizenship in their host nations. Despite the overall decrease, 5.4 million people crossed international borders seeking refuge in 2025. Children constitute 39% of the 41.6 million refugees worldwide, with the majority residing in low- to middle-income countries.
A significant portion of refugees, seven out of ten, have been in exile for five years or more, often living in protracted displacement. The UNHCR aims to reduce the number of refugees dependent on humanitarian assistance by half by 2035.
Internally displaced people numbered 68.7 million, with the war in Sudan causing the largest displacement. Projections for 2026 indicate continued challenges, with new conflicts in Iran and Lebanon displacing millions early in the year.
While 4.4 million refugees returned home in 2025, the second-highest figure since UNHCR began record-keeping, many did so under pressure and without adequate infrastructure or conditions for a dignified life. The agency also noted 4.5 million stateless people, with the Rohingya from Myanmar forming the largest group. Resettlement figures fell sharply to 82,000 in 2025 from 188,000 the previous year.