Mozambique records highest internal displacement in Sub‑Saharan Africa for 2025

The International Displacement Monitoring Centre’s Global Internal Displacement Report 2026 shows Mozambique had the greatest number of people displaced by catastrophes in Sub‑Saharan Africa in 2025, with 669,000 movements. Two high‑intensity cyclones drove most of the displacement: Cyclone Dikeledi in January caused about 167,000 movements in Nampula Province, and Cyclone Jude in March triggered roughly 493,000 movements, together accounting for 826,000 relocations – the second‑largest annual total in a decade.

Conflict in the northern province of Cabo Delgado added another 339,000 displaced persons in 2025, marking a resurgence of fighting after a period of decline and a peak in November, the highest monthly conflict‑linked displacement since 2020. The report notes that the broader Sub‑Saharan region experienced 17.3 million internal displacements in 2025, lower than the previous year due to fewer disaster‑related movements, though exposure to cyclones, drought, earthquakes and forest fires remains high.

These figures underscore Mozambique’s vulnerability to repeated natural hazards and renewed conflict, highlighting the country’s significant humanitarian challenges within the region.