India

Asia and Pacific

India

For decades, India has been hosting diverse refugee groups and has successfully found solutions for many forcibly displaced people.

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India. Afghan refugee with a doll she sewed as part of an enterprise that reworks the waste of the fast fashion industry.

©UNHCR/Urmila Jagannathan

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Key statistics

250,904

people were displaced or stateless (or returning from forced displacement) within the country at the end of 2024

236,768

people were registered as refugees in the country at the end of 2024, mostly from Sri Lanka and Myanmar

$17.3 million

are needed in 2025 to ensure that operations and programmes in India are sustained

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By the end of 2024, more than 240,000 refugees and asylum-seekers were identified and registered by UNHCR in collaboration with the Government, the majority originating from Myanmar and Afghanistan. Nearly half (46%) are women and girls, while children make up 36% of the population.

India has a long tradition of hosting diverse refugee groups and has provided solutions for many forcibly displaced people over the decades. UNHCR works in close partnership with the Government, supporting efforts to assist refugees across 11 states, and collaborating with line ministries, NGOs, and community-based organizations.

Most refugees in India live in urban areas alongside host communities. UNHCR focuses on protection, registration, and refugee status determination, while also promoting self-reliance and durable solutions. Since 2002, more than 17,900 Sri Lankan refugees have voluntarily returned home with UNHCR’s assistance.

The UNHCR India office also covers the Maldives, where the agency engages in capacity-building, promoting inclusion, and supporting the international protection needs of people forced to flee.