About us
About us
How many refugees and forcibly displaced people are there?
Globally, as of the end of December 2025, the most recent reporting period, there were 41.6 million refugees, 9 million asylum-seekers and 68.7 million people displaced due to conflict or violence within their own country (IDPs).
There are also about 4.5 million stateless people, who have been denied a nationality and lack access to basic rights such as education, health care, employment and freedom of movement.
At a time when more than 1 in every 70 people on Earth has been forced to flee, our work at UNHCR is more important than ever before.
Some Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate in Gaza have also been internally displaced. In the figures above, internally displaced Palestine refugees are counted under the figures for 'Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate' and 'IDPs', but are only counted once in the overall total of displaced people (117.8 million).
Global forced displacement trend over the last 20 years
At the end of December 2025, 117.8 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order.
Refugee, IDP and asylum-seeker trends over the last 20 years
At the end of December 2025, there were 41.6 million refugees globally.
This includes 28.5 million refugees under UNHCR's mandate, 1.5 million people in a refugee-like situation and 7.2 million other people in need of international protection, as well as 6 million Palestine refugees under UNRWA's mandate.
At the end of December 2025, there were 68.7 million internally displaced people.
At the end of December 2025, there were 9 million asylum-seekers globally.
Where do refugees live?
Low- and middle-income countries hosted 68 per cent of the world’s refugees and other people in need of international protection.
65 per cent of refugees and other people in need of international protection lived in countries neighbouring their countries of origin.