The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported a decrease in the number of people displaced worldwide in 2025, marking the first decline in a decade, though it cautioned that the long-term refugee crisis persists with unacceptably high levels of protracted displacement.
According to a report released on Thursday, 5.4 million individuals fled their homes in the past year, bringing the global total of refugees and those in similar situations to 41.6 million, which includes 6 million Palestinian refugees. Concurrently, UNHCR data indicated that approximately 14.7 million refugees and internally displaced persons returned to their home countries, representing a 50% increase from the previous year and the second-highest figure since 1965.
The majority of these returns were observed in six countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Myanmar. However, UNHCR expressed concern that many returnees faced challenging conditions, including limited access to essential services, significant infrastructure damage, and ongoing insecurity, which raises questions about the sustainability and safety of their reintegration.
The report highlighted a substantial increase in returns to Afghanistan, with around 2.9 million Afghans returning in 2025, including 1.9 million refugees, a fivefold rise compared to the previous year. This surge was primarily attributed to stricter policies implemented in neighboring Iran and Pakistan, which reportedly left many Afghans with little recourse but to leave. This influx significantly reduced the Afghan refugee population from 5.8 million in 2024 to 3.7 million in 2025.
Syria, which has long been a focal point of global displacement, saw approximately 1.3 million people return in 2025, nearly tripling the number from the preceding year. This uptick followed the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government in December 2024, contributing to a reduction in the Syrian refugee population from 6 million to 4.9 million by the close of 2025. Nevertheless, the report underscored that many returnees in Syria encounter severe difficulties, including ongoing insecurity, widespread destruction, fragile economic conditions, inadequate services and employment opportunities, and sporadic violence.
UNHCR has set a target to halve the number of refugees and others in protracted displacement requiring humanitarian assistance by 2035. This initiative aims to foster job creation and educational opportunities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries that host the majority of refugees. UNHCR High Commissioner Barham Salih emphasized the critical importance of asylum and protection, stating, "we cannot accept a future in which millions of refugees remain trapped for years or decades without realistic prospects of rebuilding their lives." The strategy includes promoting voluntary returns and facilitating refugees' access to education and employment in host countries to enhance self-sufficiency and reduce dependency on aid.
