The number of people displaced worldwide by conflict and persecution fell in 2025 for the first time in ten years, but the global refugee crisis remains far from resolved, according to a new report from the U.N. refugee agency.
The (UNHCR) said 5.4 million people fled their homes last year, bringing the total number of refugees or people in refugee-like situations worldwide to 41.6 million, including 6 million Palestinian refugees.
At the same time, about 14.7 million refugees and internally displaced people returned home in 2025 — a 50% increase from the previous year and the second-highest number recorded since 1965.
However, UNHCR warned that many returns are taking place in difficult conditions, with limited access to basic services, damaged infrastructure and ongoing security concerns threatening the long-term success of those returns.
Millions return home amid fragile conditions
Most of the returns recorded in 2025 were concentrated in six countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Myanmar.
Afghanistan saw one of the largest movements, with around 2.9 million Afghans returning, including 1.9 million refugees. UNHCR said the increase was largely driven by stricter policies in neighboring Iran and Pakistan, with many returnees reporting they felt they had little choice but to leave.
The number of Afghan refugees worldwide dropped from 5.8 million in 2024 to 3.7 million in 2025, according to the report.
Syria also recorded a significant number of returns, with around 1.3 million people going back in 2025 following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. The number of Syrian refugees worldwide fell from 6 million to 4.9 million by the end of the year.
Despite the returns, UNHCR said many Syrians are facing insecurity, widespread destruction, weak economic conditions, limited services, unemployment and continued violence in some areas.
Long-term displacement remains a major challenge
UNHCR said the reduction in global displacement does not erase the challenges facing millions who have spent years away from home.
Around 70% of refugees worldwide have been displaced for five years or more, often living in countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iran.
The agency said it aims to cut the number of refugees and others experiencing prolonged displacement by half by 2035. The plan includes supporting education, job creation and opportunities that allow refugees to become more financially independent.
The report also highlighted how ongoing conflicts continue to shape displacement trends in 2026. UNHCR said around 3.2 million people have been temporarily displaced in Iran since joint U.S.-Israeli strikes at the end of February, while about one million people have been forced from their homes in Lebanon since the start of the war on March 2.
“Asylum and protection are life-saving and not up for debate, but we cannot accept a future in which millions of refugees remain trapped for years or decades without realistic prospects of rebuilding their lives,” UNHCR High Commissioner Barham Salih said.
The agency said encouraging safe, voluntary returns while expanding access to education and employment will be key to reducing long-term dependence on humanitarian assistance.
