New York, NY, June 11, 2025 — Today’s UN figures confirm a continued record high: over 122 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide — more than the populations of Spain and the United Kingdom combined, and up from 120 million last year.
The refugee and internal displacement figures measure those forced to leave their homes by conflict, disaster and persecution. The figures have more than doubled over the past decade. 40% of the world’s displaced are children under the age of 18. Contrary to widespread opinion in wealthier nations, the vast majority of displaced persons- 73% percent - are hosted in low and middle-income countries, and 60% of the world’s displaced people never cross an international border. There have been 45.8 million climate displacements, up from 26.3 million last year, a damning testament to the growing global toll of unchecked climate change.
One-third of all forcibly displaced people globally originate from just four war-torn countries- Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine. Meanwhile, some of the contexts facing the highest rates of hunger and malnutrition in the world, such as Occupied Palestinian Territory and DR Congo are also top displacement crises. International Rescue Committee (IRC) Watchlist countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, and Yemen — which face overlapping crises of conflict, climate change and poverty — account for both a disproportionate share of global displacement, and a unique vulnerability to ongoing global humanitarian funding cuts.
David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC, said: “The figures for forced displacement have been breaking records for the past decade, a symptom of the failure to prevent and resolve conflict, protect civilians, and provide refuge. Today’s figures represent the worst kind of new normal, with high levels of suffering and an alarming rise in the number of people displaced by the climate crisis.
“These figures emphasize that this is the wrong time to cut aid budgets. With most refugees and displaced people in poorer countries, reductions in support for key services will lead to further displacement.
“The figures show that refugee resettlement to richer countries can offer a vital lifeline for those most in need. They also show that when peace returns, refugees and internally displaced people want to go home. After a decade of war, it is vital that a country like Syria gets support.
“A record-breaking crisis requires record-breaking resolve. Refugees fleeing from war are not the problem, nor the cause of the problem. They are the test. Instead of ducking responsibility, now is the time to meet it, through support for those in need, and diplomacy to address instability at the root.”