Forcibly displaced people in World
World: Forcibly displaced people was 117.28 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in World, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
The most recent figure for forcibly displaced people in World is 117.28 million, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and up 80.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in World peaked at 123.21 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 38.54 million, in 2011.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 58.06 million | 38.54 million | 78.35 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 105.61 million | 81.47 million | 123.21 million | 6 |
More social development data for World
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 28.46 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 28.11 million (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of origin 7.42 million (2025)
- Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum 9.00 million (2025)
- Internally displaced people (IDP) by country or territory of asylum / 68.60 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNRWA by country or territory of asy 5.47 million (2025)
- Other people in need of international protection by country or territo 7.18 million (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in World?
- Forcibly displaced people in World was 117.28 million in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in World?
- The highest recorded value was 123.21 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.54 million in 2011.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this World 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.