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The global number of forcibly displaced people dropped in 2025, marking the first decrease in ten years, according to the UN refugee agency. By the end of last year, 117.8 million individuals worldwide had been forced to flee their homes, a reduction of 5.4 million from the previous year. Despite this positive trend, the UN stressed that the number of people displaced by war, violence, and persecution remains alarmingly high.

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more than 90 percent of refugee returns last year were concentrated in Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria.

The primary driver behind the decline was a "sharp increase" in returns, with 14.7 million refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) going back to their places of origin in 2025. This included a substantial number of refugees returning across borders, nearing the highest recorded figures in six decades. The report highlights that a significant portion of these returns were concentrated in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria.

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many of these returns occurred not under conditions of safety and stability, but under pressure.

However, UN refugee chief Barham Salih cautioned that these returns were often not voluntary or safe. He stated that over 90 percent of refugee returns occurred in contexts where insecurity persists, infrastructure is damaged, and basic services are scarce. Salih warned that such unsafe returns risk initiating new cycles of displacement, emphasizing that they do not represent a sustainable solution.

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They had gone back to "countries where insecurity persists, where infrastructure has been damaged, and where basic services and economic opportunities remain scarce".

The report also noted that 41.6 million people remained refugees at the end of 2025, with nearly 5.4 million becoming refugees during the year. Major crises contributing to new displacement include the ongoing conflict in Iran, which forced 3.2 million from their homes, and Israeli attacks in Lebanon, displacing over one million people. The war in Sudan also continues to be a significant driver, with nearly a million people fleeing the country.

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Returns that are not safe... are not a solution. They risk becoming the beginning of a new displacement cycle.