Forcibly displaced people in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Forcibly displaced people was 4.88 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
4.88 million
Change on year
down 27.5%
World rank
4th
of 180 countries
All-time high
7.26 million
in 2023
All-time low
1.86 million
in 2011
Years of data
16
2010–2025

Forcibly displaced people in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2010–2025

2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M2010201720252010: 1.9M2011: 1.9M2012: 2.8M2013: 3.1M2014: 2.9M2015: 1.9M2016: 2.7M2017: 5.0M2018: 3.6M2019: 6.0M2020: 5.8M2021: 5.9M2022: 6.2M2023: 7.3M2024: 6.7M2025: 4.9M

Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 4.88 million for forcibly displaced people in 2025.

The figure is down 27.5% on the previous year and up 159.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 7.26 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.86 million, in 2011.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 3.17 million 1.86 million 6.04 million 10
2020s 6.12 million 4.88 million 7.26 million 6

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 1 Colombia 10.04 million compare
  2. 2 Sudan 9.98 million compare
  3. 3 Syria 6.34 million compare
  4. 5 Yemen 4.86 million compare
  5. 6 Afghanistan 4.38 million compare
  6. 7 United States 4.18 million compare

See the full ranking of 227 places →

More social development data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is forcibly displaced people in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Forcibly displaced people in Democratic Republic of Congo was 4.88 million in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 7.26 million in 2023.
What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 1.86 million in 2011.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for forcibly displaced people?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 159.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Forcibly displaced people
Source
Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
227 places, 3,518 data points, 2010–2025
Last refreshed

Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.