Global Report 2025
Global Report 2025
Joelle, a South Sudanese refugee in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, hopes education will give her son a better future, as refugee families work toward self‑reliance with support from UNHCR and partners.
UNHCR aimed to protect and assist 129.4 million people, close to 2024 levels. At the same time, available resources fell by $1.246 billion to $3.932 billion. Funding covered only 37% of total needs, down from 48% in 2024. UNHCR therefore had to respond to almost the same level of need with resources last seen in 2016, when the global population of forcibly displaced and stateless people was less than half its current size.
With fewer resources available, UNHCR had to reduce its geographical presence and capacity. By January 2026, the workforce had decreased by more than one-third, or 6,600 positions.
This report shows how UNHCR delivered protection and advanced durable solutions in increasingly difficult conditions, and how falling resources placed the international protection system under unprecedented strain.
In 2025, UNHCR sought to protect and assist 129.4 million forcibly displaced and stateless people worldwide.
UNHCR managed 24 emergencies in 16 countries.
UNHCR spent $3.830 billion, down 22% from 2024.
2025 was an extraordinarily difficult year for international protection, exposing the widening gap between global commitments and collective action. Funding cuts were not abstract: they meant less access to education, health care, protection and support at a time when needs were greatest. Despite a reduced workforce and operational footprint, UNHCR prioritized life-saving assistance and continued to deliver protection and support in some of the world's most challenging environments.
Explore detailed financial and results information for selected countries using the list below, or view all countries with annual results reports.
Explore detailed financial and results information at regional level by selecting from the list below, or view all region pages.
Explore detailed financial and results information for specific emergencies using the list below, or view all emergency overviews.
Our results in 2025
Reporting period 1 January – 31 December 2025
© UNHCR/Oxygen Empire Media Production
The world's forcibly displaced and stateless people
UNHCR aimed to protect and assist 129.4 million people in 2025, including refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people, returnees and stateless people.
Learn more in the Global Trends report, or explore and download data on the Refugee Data Finder.
*Non-displaced Stateless people only. The total number of Stateless people including displaced stateless stood at 4,477,320.
Who’s hosting forcibly displaced people? Top countries over the past 10 years
Overview of forcibly displaced and stateless people
This chapter presents an overview of the global displacement and protection landscape in 2025, examining trends in cross-border movements, access to rights in countries of asylum, and progress towards durable solutions.
Financial overview
UNHCR relies on the generosity of its donors to fund its work. In 2025, UNHCR’s final budget amounted to $10.604 billion, revised upward from an initial $10.248 billion to address evolving needs, particularly in the Middle East and the Syrian refugee returns situation. Total funds available reached $3.932 billion, leaving a funding gap of 63%, compared with 52% in 2024.
Tightly earmarked funding rose by 35%, from $1.148 billion in 2024 to $1.551 billion in 2025. Consequently, the share of tightly earmarked funding within UNHCR’s overall funding portfolio nearly doubled, from 24% to 44%. This trend underscores a growing challenge for UNHCR: reduced flexibility to allocate resources to urgent and unforeseen needs, including displacement crises that receive limited media coverage or donor attention.
UNHCR spent $3.830 billion in 2025, 22% less than in 2024. The implementation rate – expenditure as a proportion of available funds – reached 97%, up from 95% in 2024.
budgeted needs
funds available
funds spent
Contributions and funding gap | 2025
Expenditure and unmet needs by Impact Area | 2025
No Zan (left) and Ja Mar (right), a refugee couple from Myanmar, at the construction site in central Thailand where they now legally work.
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As aid declines, refugees in Thailand find hope through legal work
Ja Mar and No Zan, a couple from Myanmar, are among the first to benefit from a new policy allowing refugees to work legally. For years, they lived in Mae La camp without the right to work, relying on aid and irregular income.
In 2025, as humanitarian funding declined, Thailand introduced a historic policy allowing 81,000 refugees from nine camps to access jobs across much of the country.
The couple now works at a site more than 600 kilometres from their camp. The decision has meant leaving behind their five children in Mae La, where their eldest daughter cares for them. Despite the separation, they see the opportunity as a turning point.
Earning 375 baht ($12) a day – more than double their previous income – helps the family pay for food and their children’s education. “I am happy that they got a job. Things are a bit better now,” their daughter said.
“For the first time, we can work safely,” Ja Mar added. “We are treated well.”
How UNHCR made a difference
In 2025, UNHCR continued to deliver in an increasingly complex environment. With 24% less funding than in 2024, UNHCR assisted 30.7 million forcibly displaced and stateless people, 16% fewer than the previous year. UNHCR used available resources to provide protection, deliver emergency response and basic services, engage communities, and advance durable solutions.
Impact Area 1 - Protect
A Proliska psychosocial support worker assists people evacuated from frontline areas at a transit centre in Donetsk oblast, highlighting the life‑saving protection provided by the Ukrainian organization, the 2025 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award Regional Winner for Europe.
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IMPACT AREA 1
Protect: Attaining favourable protection environments
- Global budget: $2.559 billion
- Global expenditure: $1.171 billion, down 21% from 2024
In 2025, UNHCR supported access to international protection, fundamental rights and fair asylum procedures for refugees and asylum-seekers, addressed protection risks facing IDPs, and advanced efforts to end statelessness. UNHCR’s work was anchored in an age, gender and diversity approach, ensuring that the different needs, risks and capacities of forcibly displaced and stateless people are recognized and addressed in all aspects of protection and assistance.
Impact Area 2 - Respond
UNHCR financial assistance helps a Syrian refugee family in Lebanon meet essential needs, supporting vulnerable households facing economic hardship and caregiving responsibilities amid displacement.
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IMPACT AREA 2
Respond: Realizing rights in safe environments
- Global budget: $4.625 billion
- Global expenditure: $1.708 billion, down 27% from 2024
Despite rising needs and sharp funding constraints, UNHCR delivered life-saving assistance across displacement contexts, prioritizing basic needs, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and health while increasingly working through and strengthening national systems. Cash assistance remained central to UNHCR’s response and was the preferred modality to deliver basic needs support.
Impact Area 3 - Empower
Girls in Herat, Afghanistan, take part in the Code4Fun project, funded by JICA and facilitated by UNHCR, gaining digital skills in graphic design and web development to support future livelihood opportunities.
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OUTCOME AREA 3
Empower: Empowering communities and achieving gender equality
- Global budget: $1.411 billion
- Global expenditure: $518 million, down 12% from 2024
UNHCR’s empowerment and inclusion efforts focused on increasing participation of forcibly displaced and stateless people across all phases of programming. UNHCR engaged with diverse groups to identify needs and preferences in rapidly changing operational contexts and uneven national system capacity, impacted by shrinking aid and resources. Women and girls played vital roles in community-based protection and feedback mechanisms, helping to shape more inclusive and accountable responses.
Impact Area 4 - Solve
UNHCR staff welcome refugees arriving at Rome Fiumicino Airport through the ReadyForIT labour mobility programme, enabling refugees trained in IT in Uganda to access employment opportunities in Italy and rebuild their lives, including IT roles at Accenture’s Naples office.
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IMPACT AREA 4
Solve: Securing solutions
- Global budget: $1.538 billion
- Global expenditure: $426 million, down 19% from 2024
In 2025, UNHCR advanced durable solutions despite a constrained global context, supporting large-scale refugee returns, expanding inclusion of IDPs in national solutions frameworks, and making progress on reducing statelessness, while opportunities for resettlement and local integration declined sharply.
Outcome Areas
This section examines UNHCR's work in 2025, detailing our various activities in 16 "Outcome Areas", showing the results we achieved and the challenges we encountered.
OA1 - Access
Syrian refugees apply for or renew UNHCR certificates at Baherka Registration Centre in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, an important step in obtaining official documents and accessing essential services.
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OUTCOME AREA 1
Access to territory, registration and documentation
Access to territory, registration, and documentation is fundamental to protection and access to rights and services. These are also critical for inclusion in national systems, enabling self-reliance and durable solutions. In 2025, UNHCR prioritized cooperation with national authorities, strengthening protection-sensitive border systems to uphold the right to seek asylum and prevent refoulement, supporting registration in new emergencies, improving data integrity, and advancing transitions to government-led registration and civil documentation systems.
- UNHCR supported the individual registration of 1.9 million persons in proGres, of which 52% were women.
- In collaboration with host governments, UNHCR strengthened refugee registration and documentation, including biometric registration through systems such as PRIMES in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Sudan, issuing documentation to establish identity and legal status.
- In Chad, 75% of refugees and asylum-seekers were individually registered by year-end, despite large new arrivals.
- In Lebanon, 67,000 refugees received legal aid to obtain civil documentation, secure legal residency and reduce risks of refoulement.
- UNHCR advanced birth registration to prevent statelessness, including through camp-based registration missions and support to civil registrars in Kenya.
OA2 - Status
Melissa Ines Yango, a Central African refugee in Gado‑Badzéré, Cameroon, gained freedom of movement and access to services after receiving refugee documentation and a national ID card.
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OUTCOME AREA 2
Status determination
Fair and efficient status determination procedures are life-changing for refugees, providing legal recognition, safety, rights, and access to services. UNHCR focuses on strengthening national systems to improve fairness, efficiency, and sustainability, while supporting States to establish them where they do not exist. In the absence of such systems, UNHCR conducts refugee status determination (RSD) under its mandate. For stateless persons in migratory contexts, statelessness determination procedures enable legal status and access to rights under the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.
- In Colombia, support to case tracking and workflows reduced average processing times from 1,345 to 1,096 days.
- In Türkiye, UNHCR upgraded the country of origin information database, enabling faster access to reliable, up-to-date information for RSD.
- In Kenya, capacity-building of the Department of Refugee Services contributed to more efficient and higher-quality asylum decisions, with 15,616 cases finalized.
- In Ecuador, UNHCR supported the asylum authority in identifying bottlenecks and monitoring interviewer performance.
- UNHCR conducted RSD for 33,900 people in 37 countries lacking fair and efficient asylum systems.
OA3 - Policy
Myanmar refugees legally work at a construction site in central Thailand following a landmark policy change in August 2025 that, after years of advocacy, now allows registered refugees from camps along the Thai‑Myanmar border to access lawful employment and support their families.
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OUTCOME AREA 3
Protection policy and law
UNHCR promotes laws and policies that uphold the rights of forcibly displaced and stateless people. This includes supporting States to accede to key international instruments and align domestic legislation with international standards – such as the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, the 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions, and core human rights treaties. To date, 149 States are party to the 1951 Convention and/or its 1967 Protocol, of which 68 maintain reservations or declarations.
- UNHCR supported legal and policy reforms to strengthen national asylum and protection frameworks, including in Iraq, Malawi, Mauritania and South Africa.
- UNHCR built the capacity of border officials, judges and asylum authorities through training and technical support, and issued its Strategic Approach to Strengthening National Asylum Systems.
- UNHCR helped prevent statelessness through legal reforms, and protection of stateless children, including legislative amendments in Kenya.
- In Viet Nam, UNHCR provided technical advice on amendments to the Nationality Law, easing restoration and reacquisition of nationality.
- UNHCR partnered with OSCE to launch a guide on good practices to prevent childhood statelessness.
OA4 - GBV
Fabiola Romero, a Venezuelan psychologist and women’s rights advocate in Peru, stands before a mural in Lima honouring a woman killed by her former partner. Through APPV, a UNHCR partner led by Venezuelan women, Fabiola helps refugee women rebuild confidence, understand their rights and access support as survivors of gender-based violence.
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OUTCOME AREA 4
Gender-based violence
Conflict, displacement and insecurity significantly increase the risk of violence against women and girls. Forcibly displaced women and girls are among the most vulnerable—yet, with the right support, they can also be powerful agents of change. Addressing gender-based violence (GBV) is therefore a core protection priority for UNHCR, essential to ensuring safety, dignity and recovery in humanitarian settings.
- Over 200 Women and Girls’ Safe Spaces provided psychosocial support, case management, legal aid, empowerment activities, emergency cash assistance and referrals, improving well-being and reducing risks of harm.
- 11 GBV specialist deployments strengthened early crisis response, improving access to life-saving services for 10,000 people, including in Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Uganda and Ukraine.
- Integrated livelihoods and GBV programmes reached nearly 20,700 at-risk women and older adolescent girls, including in Bangladesh and Sudan.
- Global advocacy and awareness initiatives, including the 16 Days of Activism, reached over 860,000 people.
- Prevention programmes reached 481,000 forcibly displaced people, promoting positive social norms and strengthening protection, including engagement with 58,000 community members and leaders in Afghanistan.
OA5 - Children
A young South Sudanese refugee (left) in Rhino Camp settlement, Uganda, cares for her younger siblings after losing her parents to conflict, supported by informal foster care and child protection services that help safeguard unaccompanied and separated children.
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OUTCOME AREA 5
Child protection
Children account for 40% of all forcibly displaced people UNHCR serves. In crises, they face heightened risks of family separation, violence, child marriage, trafficking and recruitment. Despite funding cuts, UNHCR has prioritized support for displaced children, including those in mixed and onward movements, working with communities and supporting governments to strengthen inclusive child protection systems.
- In Ethiopia, the Civil and Family Registration Proclamation enabled the registration of 19,500 births, reaching 62% coverage among children under five.
- In Yemen, UNHCR supported 1,400 children through the Best Interests Procedure and ensured all unaccompanied and separated refugee children were placed in alternative care.
- In South Sudan, 49,000 children were supported through the Best Interests Procedure, while 7,000 children in Lebanon received assistance, with 92% reporting improved well-being.
- Community-based child protection structures and parenting programmes reached over 157,000 parents, caregivers, and community members in Bangladesh, Chad and Uganda.
- Life skills and sport for protection programmes reached over 256,000 refugee children and adolescents in South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, strengthening resilience and reducing exposure to harm.
OA6 - Justice
Mojtaba, an 18-year-old refugee from Sudan, boards a bus with his family to the airport in Tripoli, Libya. They were among 137 refugees evacuated to Rwanda through UNHCR’s Emergency Transit Mechanism to find safety and rebuild their lives.
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OUTCOME AREA 6
Safety and access to justice
For many forcibly displaced and stateless people, detention, barriers to justice and lack of legal status shape daily realities. Despite a 23% funding cut, UNHCR prioritized legal aid, detention monitoring and work with national authorities to strengthen rule-of-law institutions, preserve the civilian character of asylum and refugee sites, and reduce risks of refoulement. Efforts also focused on addressing protection risks along mixed and onward movements.
- In Mexico, UNHCR expanded pro bono engagement to over 20 law firms, providing legal representation and litigation support to 100,000 refugees, asylum-seekers and IDPs.
- In Jordan, 59,000 refugees and asylum-seekers received legal aid including counselling, documentation support, advice on freedom of movement, residency and return procedures.
- In Lebanon, 22,800 people with specific needs received legal counselling and protection services.
- In Türkiye, UNHCR supported access to legal aid in partnership with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations, delivering 11,500 legal counselling services, and trained 177 judges and prosecutors with the Justice Academy of Türkiye.
- UNHCR intervened in 18 cases across 13 jurisdictions on access to territory and asylum procedures, non-refoulement, 1951 Convention, socio-economic rights and family unity.
OA7 - Community
Syrian refugee girls in Azraq Refugee Camp, Jordan, build digital skills through practical training, helping them stay safe online and take on leadership roles in their communities.
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OUTCOME AREA 7
Community engagement and women’s empowerment
Protection and solutions are more effective when displaced and host communities are heard, and when their capacities shape the response. In 2025, UNHCR prioritized accountability to affected people and community-based protection. This included participatory assessments, feedback and response mechanisms, and support to community-based and women-led structures, helping sustain engagement at scale across operations.
- UNHCR collaborated with community structures to identify risks, strengthen social cohesion and promote peaceful co-existence, reaching 8.2 million forcibly displaced and stateless people.
- In the Syrian Arab Republic, UNHCR-supported community centres and mobile units assisted 1.4 million IDPs and returnees with counselling and assistance.
- In Ethiopia, UNHCR provided grants and training to women-led organizations to strengthen their role in protection monitoring. Women’s empowerment networks engaged 400 members in dialogues on service delivery.
- UNHCR supported the launch of the Global Network of Refugees with Disabilities, strengthening their role in policy and programming.
- In Ukraine, 750 civil society organizations reached 200,000 people through social cohesion activities and 60,000 with basic support.
- In Bangladesh, a digital feedback platform processed 365,000 queries, resolving 97% within service standards.
OA8 - Basic needs
UNHCR winter financial assistance helps Olena, a single mother in Dnipro, Ukraine, keep her home warm during the colder months amid ongoing disruptions to essential services caused by the war.
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OUTCOME AREA 8
Well-being and basic needs
UNHCR sustained life-saving assistance despite a sharp funding contraction. Country operations prioritized the most vulnerable households and protection-critical contexts, particularly for cash-based assistance, non-food items (NFIs) and support for clean cooking solutions. Cash remained the preferred modality where feasible, while the choice between cash and in-kind assistance was guided by context, including the nature of the emergency and the setting, such as camps or urban areas.
- The number of refugee returnees receiving cash assistance tripled. Most assistance was delivered digitally; in Afghanistan, 88% was digitized, with a blockchain-based system reaching 500,000 people.
- All declared emergencies used cash as part of the response, including in Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Myanmar, South Sudan and Syria.
- In Ukraine, UNHCR provided cash assistance to 330,000 war-affected people, helping cover basic needs, including heating and energy costs during winter.
- Where cash was not feasible, UNHCR provided NFIs to meet urgent needs. In Syria, distributions of core relief items and winterization support helped stabilize conditions for IDPs and returnees.
- Direct distributions and market-based initiatives improved access to clean cooking for 949,000 refugees, including in Algeria, Bangladesh and Rwanda.
OA9 - Shelter
A Sudanese refugee family in Ajuong Thok camp near Jamjang, South Sudan, sits beside their new durable shelter, built with KOICA funding, which provides safe housing and stability after displacement caused by the conflict in Sudan.
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OUTCOME AREA 9
Sustainable housing and settlements
In 2025, expenditure under this area decreased by 27%, despite access to safe, habitable and affordable housing remaining a key determinant of protection. UNHCR prioritized emergency shelter, critical repairs, settlement planning and energy interventions to mitigate life-threatening risks and improve living conditions in camps, settlements and displacement-affected communities.
- 310,000 people received emergency shelter assistance, including in Uganda, where interventions addressed deteriorating conditions in transit centres and settlements.
- UNHCR provided shelter cash assistance to more than 260,000 people, including in Afghanistan and Ethiopia.
- 55,000 households received support to repair or upgrade shelters. In Lebanon, this included emergency repairs in informal settlements, urban areas and collective centres.
- In 16 countries, UNHCR retained its shelter cluster coordination role, supporting partners to deliver safe shelter and settlements that meet the protection needs of IDPs.
- In Mauritania, UNHCR upgraded energy systems in four health-care facilities serving around 80,000 people.
- UNHCR expanded access to energy and lighting to enhance safety and protection. In Niger, subsidized solar kits and solar home systems were provided to 9,000 households.
OA10 - Health
Hanifa receives medical care at Guzara Hospital in Herat province, Afghanistan, a hospital built by UNHCR that improves access to essential health-care services for returnees and the local community.
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OUTCOME AREA 10
Healthy lives
UNHCR supported equitable access to quality health services for forcibly displaced people. In 2025, responses prioritized life-saving primary health care, maternal and child health, nutrition, mental health and psychosocial support, communicable disease prevention, and emergency referrals. Amid tightening funding constraints, UNHCR worked with governments and partners to include displaced populations in national health systems and strengthen their sustainability, equity, and resilience.
- In Bangladesh, UNHCR supported primary health care delivery, with 500,000 consultations, and near-universal vaccination against polio, cholera, and Human Papilloma Virus.
- In Uganda, UNHCR expanded access to health services across refugee-hosting districts, supporting 1.8 million outpatient consultations, maintaining high measles and polio vaccination coverage.
- In Chad, UNHCR supported over 1 million primary health consultations, and advanced the integration of refugee health services into national systems.
- In Bangladesh and Uganda, UNHCR expanded specialized mental health and psychosocial support, reaching over 420,000 refugees.
- Nutrition programmes screened 2.4 million people and treated over 198,000 acutely malnourished children and 37,000 pregnant and lactating women.
- UNHCR-supported facilities recorded over 117,000 deliveries, with skilled personnel attending 93% of births.
OA11 - Education
Central African refugee children attend a public primary school in Gado‑Badzéré, Cameroon, where inclusive education policies allow refugee and host community children to learn together in local schools.
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OUTCOME AREA 11
Education
Fewer than half of the world’s 15 million refugee children and adolescents are enrolled in school, with access declining sharply at the secondary level. Education is a fundamental right and a key pathway to self-reliance. In 2025, expenditure in this area fell by 28%, leading UNHCR to prioritize access to formal education, inclusion in national systems, support for learning environments, and targeted pathways for adolescents and youth. Progress remained limited at the secondary level and among newly displaced populations.
- In Kenya, UNHCR supported inclusive education for more than 167,000 refugee learners in national and settlement-based schools.
- In Pakistan, UNHCR helped refugees access education by supporting refugee village schools and enrolment in public schools.
- In Chad, UNHCR built and rehabilitated classrooms, trained teachers and supported digital learning centres, helping sustain education amid large-scale refugee inflows.
- In Ethiopia, UNHCR supported 2,720 refugee youth to access universities and technical and vocational training through national systems, with support from DAFI scholarships and partners.
- In Türkiye, UNHCR supported refugee access to higher education through inclusion in national universities, scholarships, and cash grants, while strengthening sector coordination and data engagement.
OA12 - WASH
Refugees in Sudan’s White Nile State access UNHCR’s solar-powered water systems, which are transforming daily life for more than 400,000 refugees and host community members.
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OUTCOME AREA 12
Clean water, sanitation and hygiene
Reliable access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential for health and dignity. Amid a 22% reduction in expenditure in 2025, UNHCR prioritized life-saving interventions, maintained critical water infrastructure and invested in system optimization. Reduced operations and maintenance particularly affected the durability of sanitation infrastructure. Ongoing coordination with authorities, partners and communities supported the transition of WASH services to national systems.
- In Sudan, UNHCR worked with authorities to progressively link camp-based water services with state systems, supporting a reliable supply for 800,000 people.
- In Uganda, UNHCR supported the transition of refugee water systems to national utilities, with over 10% under direct utility management by the end of 2025.
- UNHCR expanded waste-to-energy solutions. In Bangladesh, 10 material recovery facilities processed over 10,000 cubic metres of solid waste, producing compost and recycled plastic products for refugees and host communities.
- In Chad and Malawi, managed aquifer recharge was piloted to diversify water sources and improve reliability.
- UNHCR solarized 27 boreholes in Chad, Ethiopia, Niger, Pakistan and Uganda, cutting an estimated 1,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, lowering operational costs and reducing reliance on fuel deliveries.
OA13 - Livelihoods
A Syrian refugee runs a small shop in Gawilan camp, Duhok Governorate, Iraq, one of 45 shops built by UNHCR to help vulnerable refugee families earn an income and contribute to the local economy.
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OUTCOME AREA 13
Self-reliance, economic inclusion and livelihoods
As forcibly displaced and stateless people gain stable incomes and participate in local economies, they become more self-reliant and less dependent on humanitarian assistance. UNHCR works with national authorities and the private sector to expand access to livelihoods, financial services, vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities, helping people build resilience, avoid harmful coping strategies, and plan for the future.
- In Poland, UNHCR scaled up livelihoods programming, more than doubling the number of refugees and asylum-seekers assisted to 50,000 in 2025.
- In Chad, livelihood support expanded from 9,200 to 32,000 refugees and asylum-seekers.
- In Thailand, following a government decision allowing 80,000 long-staying refugees from Myanmar to apply for legal employment. UNHCR provided technical advice, documentation, protection counselling and support to help them enter the labour market.
- In Brazil, the Companies with Refugees Forum – led by UNHCR and the UN Global Compact – grew to 155 member companies, which together have hired nearly 17,000 refugees.
- In Mexico, partnerships with Banco Dondé and Banorte enabled over 13,000 refugees to open bank accounts.
OA14 - Returns
Burundian refugees prepare to return home through UNHCR‑supported voluntary repatriation at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, marking a safe and dignified step toward rebuilding their lives after years of displacement in Kenya.
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OUTCOME AREA 14
Voluntary repatriation and sustainable reintegration
UNHCR supports refugees who wish to return home through counselling, information, travel support and assisting with immediate needs. In 2025, nearly 4.4 million refugees returned, up from 1.6 million in 2024, often under adverse circumstances and to fragile contexts. UNHCR is promoting a more systematic and sustainable approach to reintegration, using area-based, multi-sectoral and phased support to connect immediate assistance with longer-term reintegration.
- UNHCR shared information on return conditions and available services in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Rwanda, Syria and Türkiye, including through online platforms such as Syria is Home and UNHCR Help pages.
- In Afghanistan, UNHCR conducted monitoring at border crossings to inform advocacy and ensure age, gender and diversity-sensitive assistance amid nearly 3 million returns.
- In Jordan, 3,200 refugees planning to return received financial aid and counselling to support voluntary and informed decision-making.
- In Syria, UNHCR supported assisted travel at three border crossings and monitored protection needs among 30,000 refugee and IDP returnee households.
- In Burundi, UNHCR supported the Government in issuing documentation for returnee children, resulting in 95% of returnee children receiving birth certificates.
OA15 - Resettlement
An Eritrean refugee who had been living in Yemen stands at Sciences Po in Paris, France, after accessing a UNHCR‑supported complementary education pathway that helped him pursue a master’s degree through a scholarship.
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OUTCOME AREA 15
Resettlement and complementary pathways
Resettlement provides life-saving protection for the most vulnerable refugees when countries of asylum are unable to guarantee their safety. Complementary pathways offer additional safe routes to third countries, enabling refugees to rebuild their lives with dignity. UNHCR works closely with States to expand access to these solutions. In 2025, however, expenditure fell by 50%, resettlement commitments declined and processing capacity was reduced. As a result, fewer refugees were able to depart for resettlement.
- UNHCR supported over 37,000 refugees to depart for resettlement in third countries, mainly from Türkiye, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Rwanda.
- UNHCR submitted 35,000 refugees for resettlement to 23 States, including 1,181 unallocated quota places for refugees requiring expedited processing or those in countries with limited or no quotas.
- In Italy, UNHCR is advancing complementary pathways through pilot projects with 10 private sector partners, supporting labour mobility from Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Jordan and Uganda.
- UNHCR and IOM launched a train-to-hire programme in Malaysia to equip refugees with skills and connect them with employment opportunities in Australia.
- In Uganda, the Government introduced a new online application system enabling refugees to access machine-readable travel documents, allowing 270 individuals to pursue education pathways.
OA16 - Local solutions
A Venezuelan child forced to flee receives a residency card in Lima, Peru, with UNHCR support, enabling access to essential public services such as health care, education and social protection as part of long‑term local integration efforts.
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OUTCOME AREA 16
Local integration and other local solutions
Many refugees remain displaced for years, sometimes decades, making local integration a vital pathway to durable solutions. Despite a 20% decrease in funding under this area, UNHCR prioritized advocacy, legal engagement, partnerships, and targeted support through national and community-based systems. This includes helping refugees obtain citizenship, permanent residency, or other secure legal status. For stateless people, acquiring nationality remains a lasting solution, enabling access to rights and full participation in society.
- In Iraq, eligible internally displaced people were enrolled in the national Social Safety Net programme. The programme also resumed in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, providing cash transfers to 3,200 vulnerable households.
- In Kenya, UNHCR’s advocacy enabled the Government to expand refugees’ inclusion in national systems and social protection, including the addition of 110,000 refugee households to the Enhanced Single Registry.
- In Mauritania, 180,000 refugees and asylum-seekers were included in the Registre Social and national programmes. Around 48,000 refugees now benefit from cash transfers, reflecting a government roadmap on refugee inclusion in social protection.
- In Czechia, UNHCR supported a state-funded programme providing grants to municipalities for activities that facilitate the local integration of Ukrainian refugees.
Areas of strategic focus
UNHCR has identified key priority areas and reaffirmed its strong commitment to addressing them. Below are UNHCR’s achievements in these strategic focus areas in 2025.
Accountability to affected people
A UNHCR‑supported focus group brings South Sudanese refugees together to share priorities and inform inclusive, community‑based responses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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AREA OF STRATEGIC FOCUS
Accountability to affected people
Accountability to Affected People (AAP) is fundamental to UNHCR’s protection mandate and institutional identity. It affirms that forcibly displaced and stateless people are key partners in decisions affecting their lives. Guided by its Age, Gender and Diversity policy, UNHCR systematically engages with affected communities, recognizing the diversity of their needs, capacities and priorities.
- Over 4.4 million people in 130 countries used UNHCR-supported feedback and response mechanisms.
- UNHCR help websites received 10.6 million visits across 150 countries.
- More than 60,000 people engaged with UNHCR’s WhatsApp chatbot, exchanging over 1 million messages.
- UNHCR redesigned its Help websites to improve usability, accessibility and consistency, guided by user research with affected populations. The upgraded platform will be rolled out globally in 2026.
- A new guide outlining UNHCR’s approach to call centres and contact centres was developed to strengthen the organization’s capacity to manage feedback and complaints.
Climate action
Refugees and host community members work together at the Agro project in Farchana, eastern Chad, where a newly constructed dam supports farming by helping retain water throughout the summer.
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AREA OF STRATEGIC FOCUS
Climate action
For millions of forcibly displaced and stateless people, there is no escape from the dual threat of conflict and climate shocks. Over half of refugee and IDP sites in Africa are in areas of severe ecological stress, and many refugees return to highly climate‑vulnerable countries. Advocacy and thought leadership remain central to UNHCR’s approach. At COP30, UNHCR and 28 partners launched “No Escape II: The Way Forward” report, highlighting data, solutions and the voices of displaced people. UNHCR’s climate priorities are set out in its “Focus area strategic plan for climate action 2024-2030", with over $70 million mobilized in 2025 to support response and resilience.
- UNHCR scaled up efforts to access climate financing, including with WFP in South Sudan under the Green Climate Fund project, "Enhancing climate resilience in flood-prone areas”.
- UNHCR co-developed draft recommendations on nationality and statelessness in the context of climate change and contributed to “International protection for people displaced across borders in the context of climate change and disasters: a practical toolkit”.
- The Refugee Environmental Protection Fund implemented pilots to restore 7,000 hectares of degraded land and provide cleaner cookstoves for 90,000 households in Rwanda and Uganda.
- The Environment and Climate Action Innovation Programme supported 21 innovative ideas in 17 countries, ranging from clean energy access to sustainable livelihoods.
- The Green Financing Facility completed the transition of 11 offices in six countries to solar energy, generating 2.4 GWh of energy, reducing emissions by 55%, and achieving cost savings of over $1 million.
Global Compact on Refugees
In Monterrey, Mexico, François, a Haitian refugee, works alongside his teammates thanks to UNHCR’s Local Integration Programme, demonstrating responsibility-sharing in action under the Global Compact on Refugees in partnerships with the government, local authorities, and the private sector.
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AREA OF STRATEGIC FOCUS
The Global Compact on Refugees
UNHCR continued to lead efforts to advance the objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), working with States and partners to strengthen cooperation on forced displacement despite unprecedented challenges. Through the GCR, States and other stakeholders promoted more equitable responsibility-sharing through a whole-of-society approach. Complementing the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the GCR continued to expand access to protection across regions and reinforce support to refugee-hosting countries, even as global pressures intensified.
- UNHCR organized the GRF Progress Review 2025, co-hosted with Switzerland and co-convened with six States, reaffirming the GCR as a key multilateral framework for cooperation.
- UNHCR ensured strong and meaningful refugee participation, with 260 participants with lived experience contributing to preparatory processes and leading discussions. More than half of multi-stakeholder pledges now incorporate refugee engagement, including several co-led by refugee-led organizations.
- The GRF Pledge Stocktaking Report 2025 showed that 30% of pledges have been fulfilled and 70% are under implementation or planning.
- UNHCR secured 36 new or strengthened pledges totalling $1.37 billion, made at the Progress Review, demonstrating sustained global solidarity with refugees.
- The third GCR Indicator Report documented progress on refugee inclusion and complementary pathways, while highlighting declining funding trends and gaps in reintegration and responsibility-sharing.
Route-based approach
Students study at the new Digital Learning Centre in Iridimi, Chad, which provides online education to refugees and local youth as part of a broader effort to expand learning opportunities along the mixed movement routes.
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Route-based approach
UNHCR worked with IOM and partners to operationalize the Route-Based Approach (RteBA) along major mixed movement routes. Progress was driven by strengthened data analysis, enhanced partnerships, targeted advocacy, engagement with governments, UN entities, civil society, communities and refugee-led organizations, and strategic resource mobilization. RteBA has become not only a programmatic framework, but a critical entry point for dialogue on protection, responsibility-sharing and solutions.
- UNHCR published eight route-level reports to generate data and analysis. With the endorsement of the European Union, UNHCR and IOM advanced efforts to improve data interoperability and harmonize analytical frameworks in the context of mixed movements.
- UNHCR strengthened partnership and coordination through monthly meetings with over 30 NGOs and regional workshops, organized with IOM, for States and other stakeholders along the West and Central Africa, East and Horn of Africa, and Southern routes.
- In partnership with the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in Sanremo, UNHCR trained 78 government officials and NGO representatives through the global course “Mixed Movements – Protection Along Routes.”
- In Brazil, group-based processing enabled 150,000 individuals to be granted refugee status.
- In Uganda, 151,000 refugee children received birth certificates, alongside efforts to improve interoperability between national and refugee registries to facilitate family reunification.
Sustainable responses
A refugee farmer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo tends banana plants in Mayukwayukwa Refugee Settlement, Zambia, where access to land and livelihood assistance helps refugees build self‑reliance through agriculture.
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Sustainable responses
In 2025, sustainable responses to forced displacement gained momentum as governments, development actors, the private sector and humanitarian partners advanced nationally led approaches. More refugees accessed national systems, links between humanitarian action and development financing were strengthened, and pathways to solutions expanded. The Global Refugee Forum Progress Review highlighted rising returns, deeper inclusion, stronger self-reliance, and growing evidence of the benefits of inclusion.
- Refugee returns rose sharply to nearly 4.4 million – the highest number in over a decade – often to fragile contexts, underscoring the need to ensure returns are voluntary, informed, safe and dignified, and supported by sustainable reintegration conditions.
- In Mexico, since 2016, a UNHCR-supported relocation programme enabled 160,000 refugees to secure employment through partnerships with 650 companies.
- Ethiopia issued over 48,000 residence, work and business permits under its Right to Work Directive, with evidence pointing to reduce annual assistance costs by $200 per person.
- Inclusion in national health systems increased, including the enrolment of 72,000 refugees in Kenya’s national health insurance scheme.
- Refugees accessed national education systems in Cameroon, Ecuador, Iraq, Kenya, Mauritania, Rwanda and Uganda.
Support from the private sector
Islamic Relief USA delivers vital healthcare interventions to vulnerable communities
Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) scaled their partnership to reach refugees in eight countries across Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. As part of a comprehensive response, IRUSA funded health services, essential relief and durable solutions, helping more than 400,000 forcibly displaced and stateless people get the support they needed. IRUSA also contributed to the Global Islamic Fund for Refugees, providing sustainable funding for rapid response.
In Jordan, when UNHCR lacked funding to cover critical health services for the most vulnerable refugees, IRUSA brought in specialized physicians to deliver life-saving care. Together, IRUSA and UNHCR supported nearly 2,000 people through this mission and funded medical care for 23,000 others.
Mazur Alam, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives empowers refugees towards resilience and independence
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), in partnership with UNHCR, supported essential food security and livelihoods programmes across Asia and Africa, bringing its total contribution to more than $37 million since 2021 and positively impacting over 775,000 people.
In Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, this included compensated volunteer roles – such as paralegals, firefighters and community health volunteers – equipping individuals like Mazur Alam (pictured) to provide legal guidance, raise awareness and protect their communities from exploitation and child marriage. By fostering skills, leadership and meaningful engagement, MBRGI enabled people forced to flee to regain their independence, strengthened social safety nets and drove lasting change, proving that even in the most difficult circumstances, opportunity can foster resilience, dignity and hope.
Mastercard Foundation builds education-to-work pathways for displaced youth in Africa
The $25 million partnership between UNHCR and Mastercard Foundation enabled access to education, livelihoods and empowerment pathways for refugees and displaced youth affected by the ongoing conflict in Sudan. In 2025, initiatives across seven refugee-hosting countries supported more than 380,000 young people to access secondary education and over 1,000 youth to pursue higher education.
In April, UNHCR and Mastercard Foundation announced a $300 million scaling of the partnership, extending support beyond Sudan response to advance education-to-work pathways for refugees and displaced youth across Africa. This strategic partnership has a strong focus on young women and people with disabilities in Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Mali, South Sudan and Sudan.
Fast Retailing brings “PEACE FOR ALL” to Expo 2025 in Osaka to raise awareness and support for refugees
Fast Retailing showcased its “PEACE FOR ALL” initiative at Expo 2025 Osaka, Japan. Over six days, more than 14,000 visitors from around the world explored how design and storytelling can build empathy and solidarity with people forced to flee. Fast Retailing’s UNIQLO brand reported that the event generated the highest PEACE FOR ALL sales ever recorded worldwide over the same period.
Through the PEACE FOR ALL initiative, Fast Retailing donated $3.3 million in 2025 to support refugee return and reintegration in the Syrian Arab Republic, and a livelihoods programme for 1,000 Rohingya refugee women in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
FIFA partners to deliver aid and expand community sports programmes
FIFA Foundation helped UNHCR deliver life-saving relief after the devastating earthquake in Myanmar, ensuring urgent support reached affected communities when it was needed most. It also invested in long-term inclusion, training more than 120 refugees and host community members in Armenia, Morocco and Poland to become community coaches, increasing access to safe football programmes and fostering interpersonal skills and stronger social cohesion.
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund extended this impact through multi-year initiatives across the Middle East and Africa. For example, a project in South Africa reached more than 1,600 young people by turning a neglected court into an inclusive sports space. There, coaches use play to promote peace and raise awareness of refugee rights in communities affected by anti-foreigner sentiment. This initiative featured professional athletes such as Emmanuel Tshituka (pictured), a former refugee and now a South African citizen, to show how sport can strengthen integration and a sense of belonging.
Akelius Foundation boosts digital learning and rapid humanitarian action
Akelius Foundation contributed $1.6 million to UNHCR education programmes in South Sudan and Mozambique, expanding digital learning, strengthening language training and improving access to quality education for 3,500 forcibly displaced children.
Akelius Foundation also matched every donation made to Sweden for UNHCR’s Christmas campaign, helping raise an additional $6.5 million for emergency response in Sudan. Together, these contributions supported both immediate humanitarian action and longer-term opportunities for displaced communities to learn, recover and rebuild their lives.
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Summary
The Global Report highlights UNHCR's funding, expenditure and impact in 2025 as we responded to the needs of a record number of forcibly displaced and stateless people around the world.
Other key information:
- All documents associated with the Global Report 2025 (main report, regional overviews, situation overviews, outcome areas, financial data).
- Global financial data
- Regional financial data
- Country Annual Results Reports
- Core indicator results for 56 operations
Please contact us at [email protected] if you have research or other questions about our data and analysis.
