Millions in Exile: UN Warns of Protracted Refugee Crisis
Despite a 3% decrease in the total number of refugees worldwide — down to 41.6 million people, the scale of forced displacement remains alarmingly high. According to UNHCR data, in 2025, 5.4 million people were forced to seek asylum outside their countries due to conflicts and persecution, while about 70% of refugees continue to live in conditions of prolonged exile and poverty.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in 2025, 5.4 million people were forced to leave their countries in search of asylum due to armed conflicts and persecution. Despite this, the total number of refugees worldwide decreased by 3% over the year, amounting to 41.6 million people. However, as emphasized by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, the scale of forced population displacement remains unacceptably high.
The number of refugee returns became the second-largest indicator in the entire 60-year history of UNHCR observations. The most notable increase was observed in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria.
At the same time, the UN notes that many returned not voluntarily, but under the influence of external circumstances and in conditions of ongoing instability.
Today, about 70% of refugees continue to live in situations of prolonged exile, often living below the poverty line. Additionally, 68% of them reside in countries with low and middle income levels.
“For too many refugees, displacement saves lives but becomes a sentence itself,” said Barham Salih.
At the same time, the scale of resettlement to third countries has sharply decreased. In 2025, only 81.8 thousand people arrived in other states through resettlement and sponsorship programs, which is more than twice less than the previous period’s figure.
By the end of 2025, the number of internally displaced persons worldwide reached 68.6 million people. This is 7% less compared to the previous year. The most extensive crisis remained in Sudan, where 9.1 million people were forced to relocate within the country.
The war in the Middle East, which began in February 2026, also had an additional impact on the situation. As a result of the conflict, 1 million people in Lebanon and 3.2 million people in Iran left their homes.
The issue of statelessness also remains relevant.
As of the end of 2025, there were about 4.5 million stateless persons worldwide, which is 3% more than the previous year. Meanwhile, nearly 46 thousand people in 24 countries were able to obtain the necessary documents and shed their stateless status.
UNHCR aims to more than halve the number of refugees who remain in prolonged displacement and depend on humanitarian aid by 2035.
To achieve this goal, the organization proposes expanding opportunities for voluntary repatriation, resettlement to third countries, obtaining humanitarian visas, and promoting the financial independence of refugees.
The agency emphasizes the need to create conditions where refugees’ incomes allow them to live above the official poverty line in host countries.
According to Barham Salih, voluntary return should remain a key long-term solution to the problem. Equally important is the integration of refugees into national education, healthcare, financial services, and labor markets.
The High Commissioner also called for expanding programs for the resettlement of the most vulnerable refugees, family reunification, granting work permits, and educational grants.