UN says global forced displacement falls for first time in a decade

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that at the end of 2025 the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide fell to 117.8 million, a drop of 5.4 million from the previous year and the first decline in ten years. About 58 % of those displaced were internally displaced persons.

The agency said the decrease was driven mainly by a surge in returns from the world’s largest displacement crises, especially in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan and Syria, although many returns occurred under pressure and into insecure conditions. The UN warned that such pressured returns could spark a new cycle of displacement.

Colombia remained the top host country, sheltering roughly 2.8 million refugees and asylum‑seekers. The six countries that together accounted for almost 60 % of cross‑border displaced people were Sudan, Ukraine, Venezuela, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Afghanistan, Mali and Myanmar. Returns in 2025 were concentrated in the DRC (3.6 million), Sudan (3.6 million), Syria (3.3 million), Afghanistan (2 million), Ukraine (718 thousand) and Myanmar (415 thousand).

While asylum applications continued to rise, reaching almost 9 million pending cases, resettlement admissions fell, notably in the United States, widening the gap between needs and solutions.