UN Refugee Agency Reports First Decline in Global Displacement in a Decade, Warns of Forced Returns
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
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The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) Mid-Year Trends 2025 report, reveals that the total number of people worldwide forcibly displaced fell for the first time in a decade to 117.3 million at the end of June 2025. This decline of 5.9 million people reflects a sharp three-fold increase in returns of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) compared to the first half of 2024, reaching a total of 6.9 million returnees.
The global forcibly displaced population comprises: 67.8 million IDPs (58% of the total), 30.5 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate, 8.4 million asylum-seekers, and 5.9 million Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate.
Crucially, the report warns that many returns occurred under adverse conditions to areas where insecurity persists and basic services are lacking. Notable return movements, often forced, included:
Afghans: 874,800 returned following policies enacted by the Governments of Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran, placing severe pressure on Afghanistan’s already overstretched resources.
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): 1.9 million IDPs returned, often compelled by the forced closure of settlements by the M23 armed group, sometimes returning to areas of active conflict.
Syrians: Nearly one million IDPs returned within Syria, and at least 526,200 returned from abroad, following the fall of the Assad government, despite continued insecurity and destroyed infrastructure.
Meanwhile, resettlement arrivals fell sharply by two-thirds to just 28,600, exacerbating the gap between needs and available durable solutions.
Policy Relevance: Upholding Protection Amid Crisis Fatigue
This report provides essential data for global humanitarian funding and policy-making, highlighting a massive discrepancy between needs and resources.
Host Burden: Low- and middle-income countries hosted 71% of the world’s refugees, with Least Developed Countries (LDCs) alone hosting 25% of the total, despite having minimal economic resources.
Funding Crisis: UNHCR assesses that funding cuts in 2025 have placed around 11.6 million people at risk of losing urgently needed assistance worldwide, compounding vulnerabilities and threatening asylum systems.
Asylum Integrity: New asylum applications fell by 54 per cent globally, but the number of pending asylum-seekers still reached 8.4 million, emphasizing the need for efficient processing to protect asylum integrity and ensure people are not compelled to return prematurely.
What is the significance of the shift to ‘forced’ returns in major situations? → Returns that are involuntary or driven by adverse conditions (like fear of deportation, loss of livelihood in the host country, or forced displacement by armed groups) are termed “forced returns”. The report emphasizes that such returns are unlikely to be sustainable, often leading to renewed displacement cycles because returnees lack secure livelihoods, face protection risks (especially Afghan women and girls), and return to areas with limited health, education, and economic systems.
Follow the full report here: UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2025