More than 117.8 million people will be forcibly displaced by war or other forms of violence worldwide by the end of 2025.
This is what the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), presented Thursday by High Commissioner Barham Salih, reveals.
There is, however, a glimmer of hope: for the first time in ten years, the number of forced displacements has declined. This is a significant development, but one that the UNHCR considers still far from sufficient. Of these 117.8 million people, some 68.7 million were displaced within their own borders, while 41.6 million had sought refuge in another country.
This 3% decrease in the global refugee population compared to the end of 2024 is mainly due to a significant increase in returns to several crisis-stricken countries, notably Afghanistan, Syria, and Sudan, as well as internal returns within the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, the report cautions that many of these returns take place in precarious conditions, in fragile contexts where reintegration remains a major challenge.
Barham Salih stressed that resolving major global conflicts will allow millions more refugees to return home in safety and dignity.
This report appears in a strong symbolic context: 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, adopted on July 28, 1951.
