Global Displacement Drops After Decade-Long Surge

(MENAFN) The number of people forced from their homes worldwide declined in 2025 for the first time in ten years, according to a report released Thursday by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as millions returned to their countries despite persistent security challenges.

The agency reported that 117.8 million people were living in displacement by the end of 2025, marking a decrease of 5.4 million compared with the previous year.

The reduction was largely attributed to a significant increase in returns. During the year, 14.7 million displaced individuals went back to their places of origin, including 4.4 million refugees — the second-highest annual refugee return figure recorded in the past six decades.

Despite the decline, displacement levels remained historically high. Of the total displaced population at the end of the year, 41.6 million were refugees. Meanwhile, nearly 5.4 million people newly acquired refugee status in 2025, with 60% originating from just eight countries. Sudan accounted for almost 1 million new refugees, while nearly 800,000 fled Ukraine.

The report also pointed to fresh displacement emergencies emerging in 2026. According to UNHCR, the war launched by the US and Israel in February uprooted 3.2 million people in Iran. In Lebanon, Israeli attacks that began in March forced more than 1 million residents to leave their homes.

At the same time, the agency warned that opportunities for refugee resettlement are shrinking. Although an estimated 2.9 million refugees required resettlement, the number of available places fell sharply from 188,800 in 2024 — the highest level in four decades — to only 81,800 in 2025. The decline was driven largely by a steep reduction in refugee admissions by the United States.

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