UN: Global Displacement drops slightly but remains at crisis level
UN: Global Displacement drops slightly but remains at crisis level
The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide has seen a slight decline but remains at historically high levels, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on Thursday. According to the agency’s Global Trends Report, 122.1 million people were displaced by the end of April 2025—down from a record 123.2 million at the end of 2024.
The modest decline is primarily attributed to the return of nearly two million Syrians to their homes, following the end of more than a decade of civil conflict. Since November, over 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and approximately 500,000 refugees have returned to their areas of origin. UNHCR estimates up to 3.5 million total returns to Syria by the end of 2025.
Despite these developments, the agency cautioned that global displacement levels remain “untenably high” and are largely driven by ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, and Ukraine. Sudan has now surpassed Syria as the largest displacement crisis globally, with 14.3 million refugees and IDPs. Syria follows with 13.5 million displaced, trailed by Afghanistan (10.3 million) and Ukraine (8.8 million).
Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, underscored the urgent need for durable solutions. “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,” he said. “We must redouble our efforts to search for peace and find long-lasting solutions.”
The report also warned that declining humanitarian funding could further complicate efforts to support displaced populations and facilitate safe returns. Nearly 10 million displaced people returned home in 2024, including 1.6 million refugees — the highest figure in over two decades — and 8.2 million IDPs.
Currently, one in every 67 people globally is forcibly displaced. Most refugees remain in neighboring countries, with Iran (3.5 million), Turkey (2.9 million), Colombia (2.8 million), Germany (2.7 million), and Uganda (1.8 million) hosting the largest refugee populations.
