At least 117.8 million people worldwide remain forcibly displaced due to conflict, violence, human rights abuses and persecution.At least 117.8 million people, or one in 70 individuals worldwide, remain forcibly displaced, according to a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today.For the first time in 10 years, forced displacement has declined – a shift driven by large-scale returns of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) from the world’s biggest displacement crises.Despite a roughly 4 percent decrease in the number of displaced people in 2025, this progress has been overshadowed by Lebanon’s fast-growing displacement crisis. Since the US-Israel war on Iran began in late March 2026, Israeli attacks have forcibly displaced more than one million, with a further 3.2 million internally displaced in Iran. Of the 117.3 million forcibly displaced:
68.6 million are internally displaced within their own countries due to conflict or other crises. Roughly 28.5 million refugees are under the UNHCR mandate
9 million are asylum seekers – people waiting for a decision while seeking protection in another country due to persecution or fear of harm in their home country
7.2 million people are in need of international protection
6 million are Palestinian refugees under UNRWA’s mandate
Where are refugees coming from?Almost three-quarters (72 percent) of all refugees came from just seven countries:
Venezuela (6.4 million),
Palestine (6 million),
Ukraine (5.2 million),
Syria (4.9 million),
Afghanistan (3.7 million),
Sudan (2.8 million),
South Sudan (2.4 million).
Under international law, refugees are people who are forced to flee their home cou …
