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Refugee numbers drop for first time in a decade, but millions remain ... FacebookTwitterPrintEmail Global forced displacement has decreased for the first time in a decade, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR)reportedon Thursday, though the figure remains unacceptably high and tens of millions of people are still trapped in prolonged exile with little prospect of rebuilding their lives. UNHCR's flagship Global Trends Report, launched in Geneva by High Commissioner Barham Salih, showed thatglobal refugee numbers fell by three per cent in 2025 to 41.6 million. Some 5.4 million people fled to other countries to escape violence and persecution during the year. Returns also gathered pace:14.7 million displaced people went back to their areas or countries of origin in 2025– including 4.4 million refugees and 10.3 million internally displaced people - with sharp increases recorded in Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria. Refugeereturns were the second highest since records began 60 years ago, though the agency cautioned that many occurred under pressure and to precarious conditions. In a positive development, nearly 46,000 stateless people acquired citizenship across 24 countries last year. Despi…

Refugee numbers drop for first time in a decade, shows UNHCR report • The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) launched the agency’s flagship Global Trends Report on June 11. •The global refugee number declined slightly during 2025 by 3 per cent to reach 41.6 million at the end of the year,including Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate. • Global forced displacement has decreased for the first time in a decade, though the figure remains unacceptably high and tens of millions of people are still trapped in prolonged exile with little prospect of rebuilding their lives. Who is a refugee? • Refugees are people forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as a result of who they are, what they believe in or say, or because of armed conflict, violence or serious public disorder. • Many have been forced to flee with little more than the clothes on their back, leaving behind their homes, possessions, jobs and loved ones. • They may have suffered human rights violations, been injured in their flight, or seen family members or friends killed or attacked. Internally Displaced People • Intern…

Africa: Refugee Numbers Drop for First Time in a Decade, but Millions ... Global forced displacement has decreased for the first time in a decade, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Thursday, though the figure remains unacceptably high and tens of millions of people are still trapped in prolonged exile with little prospect of rebuilding their lives. UNHCR's flagship Global Trends Report, launched in Geneva by High Commissioner Barham Salih, showed thatglobal refugee numbers fell by three per cent in 2025 to 41.6 million. Some 5.4 million people fled to other countries to escape violence and persecution during the year. Heading home Keep up with the latest headlines onWhatsApp|LinkedIn Returns also gathered pace:14.7 million displaced people went back to their areas or countries of origin in 2025- including 4.4 million refugees and 10.3 million internally displaced people - with sharp increases recorded in Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria. Refugeereturns were the second highest since records began 60 years ago, though the agency cautioned that many occurred under pressure and to precarious conditions. In a positive development, nearly 46,000 stateless people acquired citi…

World Refugee Day 2026 in numbers: UNHCR reports decline in global refugee numbers amid escalating crisis On World Refugee Day 2026, UNHCR’s data provides a look at the trends that are shaping the current crisis

Global Refugee Numbers Fall, Yet Crisis Remains Severe The UN Refugee Agency has reported that global forced displacement fell for the first time in a decade in 2025, but levels of refugees facing long-term displacement remain unacceptably high. A total of 14.7 million displaced people returned home during the year, marking one of the highest return levels on record, although many did so under difficult and unstable conditions. Most returns were to six countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Myanmar. Despite the decline, UNHCR warned that the overall situation remains severe, with tens of millions still living in long-term exile, limited resettlement opportunities, and most refugees hosted in low- and middle-income countries. The agency called for a shift beyond humanitarian aid toward long-term solutions. Africa:Refugee Numbers Drop for First Time in a Decade, but Millions Remain Trapped UN News, 10 June 2026 Global forced displacement has decreased for the first time in a decade, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Thursday, though the figure remains unacceptably high and tens of…Read more » Nigeria:We Drank Our Urine t…

UNHCR Says Fewer People Displaced Worldwide in 2025 but Long-term ... The number of people displaced worldwide by conflict and persecution fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade, but levels of refugees facing long-term displacement remain unacceptably high, a UN refugee agency report said on Thursday. Last year, 5.4 million people fled their homes, bringing the total number of refugees or people in refugee-like situations worldwide to 41.6 million, including 6 million Palestinian refugees, UNHCR said. At the same time, around 14.7 million refugees and internally displaced people returned home, a 50% increase on the previous year and the second-highest figure recorded since 1965, the agency found. Most returns were to six countries: the Democratic ‌Republic of the Congo, ‌Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Myanmar, Reuters said. However, many returned to difficult ‌conditions ⁠marked by limited access ⁠to basic services, widespread infrastructure damage and ongoing insecurity, raising concerns over the sustainability and safety of their return, UNHCR said. About 2.9 million Afghans returned in 2025, including 1.9 million refugees - five times higher than the previous year …

Almost 118 million people displaced | The IRC In a decade, the number of people forced from their homes has more than doubled, from 59.5 million in 2014 to over 120 million in 2024. The UNHCR reports that 117.8 million people around the world were forcibly displaced in 2025. The numbers remain at historic highs. But the distance between us shouldn't. This World Refugee Day, the International Rescue Committee invites you to join us in our efforts to close that distance: reaching people in crisis zones, supporting them on the long journey toward safety, and helping them rebuild wherever they are. For the first time in a decade, the total number of forcibly displaced people declined—from 123 million at the end of 2024 to 117.8 million at the end of 2025. However, this is not a story of progress. The decline was driven by one of the highest return rates of both refugees and internally displaced people on record. But these returns are not a sign that crises have been resolved. People are returning to communities inSyria, where 90% of the population lives in poverty. They are returning toSudan,Afghanistanand theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, not to situations of stability but fra…

UNHCR: number of displaced people worldwide falls for ... - Africanews The number of people forcibly displaced around the world stood at 117.8 million at the end of 2025, according to the United Nations. The UN refugee agency’s Global Trends report recorded 68.7 million internally displaced people and 41.6 million refugees in other countries -- all compelled to flee their homes because of conflict, violence or persecution. But the findings show that forced displacement worldwide fell for the first time in a decade. The number of refugees shrank by 3 percent in 2025 compared with the year before, due to a rise in returns in some of the world’s largest displacement crises, includingSyria, Afghanistan, Sudan and the DR Congo. But many of those returns occurred under difficult circumstances to fragile contexts where reintegration conditions remain extremely challenging. UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, said ending some of the world’s major conflicts would allow millions more refugees to return safely and in dignity. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Convention on the Status of Refugees, which was adopted on July 28, 1951, and entered into force on April…

Global displacement fell in 2025 but still high, UN finds | AP News Women and children fetch water at dusk in the Korsi Refugee Camp in Birao, the Central African Republic, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly, File) Hussein Mohamed Shareef shows the scar on his head where he said an RSF sniper shot him in Omdurman, as he poses for a photo at the Al Heshan camp for internally displaced people in Port Sudan, Sudan, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File) Children play through al-Karama camp, established in the early years of the Syrian conflict and built from scratch with light-brick structures covered with fabric to house internally displaced Syrians near the village of Atmeh, Idlib province, Syria, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam, File) A Lebanese displaced family who fled their village in south Lebanon, arrive in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari, File) The U.N. refugee agency said forced displacement of people due to conflict or persecution fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade. But the agency warned in its annual report Thursday that 118 million people who had to flee their…

Africa: Refugee Numbers Drop for First Time in a Decade, but Millions Remain Trapped [UN News] Global forced displacement has decreased for the first time in a decade, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Thursday, though the figure remains unacceptably high and tens of millions of people are still trapped in prolonged exile with little prospect of rebuilding their lives.