Overview
- The UN refugee agency reported on Thursday that the total number of people forcibly displaced fell to about 117.8 million in 2025, driven mainly by roughly 14.7 million returns consisting of 4.4 million refugees and 10.3 million internally displaced people.
- More than 90 percent of return movements in 2025 came from three countries, with about 1.9 million people back to Afghanistan, 1.3 million to Syria and roughly 651,500 to Sudan.
- UNHCR warned that many returns were not voluntary and often took place into insecure or damaged areas, increasing the risk that people will be forced to flee again.
- Protection and solutions are shrinking because resettlement places dropped to about 82,000 in 2025 and UNHCR funding remained around $3.5 billion, which UN agencies say limits aid, integration and durable options.
- Long-term exile remains the norm for most refugees — about 70 percent have been displaced five years or more — and new or renewed conflicts in early 2026 signal fresh displacement risks not captured in the 2025 figures.