The number of internal refugees due to conflict and violence will reach a record level in 2025

According to the organization, by the end of 2025, the number of cases of internal displacement due to war and violence amounted to 32.3 million – an increase of 60% from the previous year. By comparison, natural disasters displaced 29.9 million people. Since records began in 2008, conflict has become the leading cause of internal displacement for the first time. Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland called what was happening “a sign of a global crisis in the protection of civilians.” Millions of people are unable to return home due to destroyed infrastructure, lack of basic services and ongoing fighting, he said. Internal displacement refers to any case where a person is forced to leave their home without traveling outside the country. One person can be moved several times.

There were 82.2 million displaced people globally in 2025, the second highest figure after a record 83.5 million in 2024. Despite the slight decline, the report’s authors emphasize that it does not mean the situation is improving. Many returns were forced, and conditions for a safe life remain extremely difficult. More than 83% of all displacement last year was related to conflict and violence. Almost half of these cases occurred in Sudan, Colombia, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan. Sudan remained the country with the largest number of internally displaced persons for the third year in a row.

The authors of the report note that the increase in indicators is associated both with the emergence of new international conflicts and with the escalation of existing ones. Nearly half of displacement due to violence in 2025 was caused by international armed conflicts—almost double the level the year before. The situation is particularly dire in Iran and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which account for about two-thirds of all new conflict-related internal displacement.