Forcibly displaced people in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)
South Asia (IDA & IBRD): Forcibly displaced people was 2.57 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in South Asia (IDA & IBRD), 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
In 2025, forcibly displaced people in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) stood at 2.57 million. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
That represents a change of up 7.5% on the previous year and up 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 2.57 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.56 million, in 2013.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.92 million | 1.56 million | 2.46 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.24 million | 2.02 million | 2.57 million | 6 |
More social development data for South Asia (IDA & IBRD)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 1.44 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 238,179 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 321,786 (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 15,715 (2025)
- Internally displaced people (IDP) by country or territory of asylum / 1.12 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- Forcibly displaced people in South Asia (IDA & IBRD) was 2.57 million in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- The highest recorded value was 2.57 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 million in 2013.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in South Asia (IDA & IBRD)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.