The United Nations has reported a slight decline in the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide for the first time in ten years. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), 117.8 million people were living in forced displacement at the end of 2025.
This figure shows a decrease of 5.4 million compared to the previous year. The agency said the drop was mainly due to increased returns of refugees and internally displaced persons to their home regions, despite ongoing instability in many areas.
In total, 14.7 million displaced people returned home in 2025. This includes 4.4 million refugees who crossed back into their countries of origin, marking one of the highest levels of return movements recorded in decades.
UNHCR noted that more than 90% of refugee returns took place in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria. However, officials warned that many of these returns occurred under unsafe conditions, with continuing insecurity, damaged infrastructure, and limited access to basic services.
The agency stressed that returns without safety and stability are not a long-term solution and could trigger renewed displacement cycles.
The report also highlighted that 41.6 million of the displaced people were refugees, while millions more were internally displaced within their own countries due to conflict and persecution.
According to the UN, 5.4 million people became new refugees during the year, with large numbers fleeing conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine. Several ongoing crises were also cited as major drivers of displacement across different regions.
UNHCR further raised concern over the shrinking availability of resettlement opportunities. It said global resettlement slots fell sharply to 81,800 last year, compared to significantly higher levels in previous years.
