Newly arrived Sudanese refugees are seen in the border town of Adre, in Chad. More than 850,000 refugees fleeing the violence in Sudan have crossed into Chad since the conflict began in April 2023. ;© UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
OTTAWA/GENEVA – As Canada prepares to host world leaders, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warns that the number of people displaced by war, violence and persecution worldwide is untenably high, particularly as humanitarian funding dries up.
According to UNHCR’s annual Global Trends Report, released today, 122.1 million people were forcibly displaced by the end of April 2025, up from 120 million at the same time last year. This marks a decade of year-on-year increases in the number of refugees and others forced to flee their homes. The main drivers of displacement remain large-scale conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine, and the continued failure to stop the fighting.
“We are living in a time of high volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “The search for peace must be at the heart of all efforts to find long-lasting solutions for refugees and others forced to flee their homes.”
The report highlights that while some returns have occurred—particularly to Syria following political changes—many happened under adverse conditions. At the same time, new displacements surged in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, and South Sudan.
Among findings in the Global Trends Report:
- 42.7 million refugees have fled their countries
- 73.5 million people are internally displaced persons (IDPs) or have been displaced within their own country due to conflict (an increase of 6.3 million)
- Sudan is now the world’s largest forced displacement situation with 14.3 million refugees and IDPs, followed by Syria (13.5 million), Afghanistan (10.3 million) and Ukraine (8.8 million)
The report also challenges common perceptions in wealthier nations: 60 per cent of forcibly displaced people remain within their own countries, and 73 per cent of refugees are hosted by low- and middle-income countries. In fact, 67 per cent of refugees stay in neighbouring countries.
Despite the scale of need, humanitarian funding has not kept pace. UNHCR’s funding remains at 2015 levels, even as displacement has nearly doubled over the past decade. The report calls for sustained investment in life-saving assistance, support for returns, and infrastructure in host communities.
“Even amid the devastating cuts, we see some rays of hope,” Grandi added. “More people have been able to return to places like Syria after over a decade uprooted. They need our help to rebuild their lives again in their home country.”
In 2024, 9.8 million forcibly displaced people returned home, including 1.6 million refugees—the highest number in over two decades.
Globally, there were 3.1 million new individual asylum claims last year. In 2024, Canada received 174,000 of these applications. For context, some of the largest refugee hosting countries do not have an individual refugee status determination process like Canada’s. Instead, they grant refugee status to groups of people fleeing violence and persecution.
Canada was the second-largest resettlement country globally, welcoming 49,300 refugees in 2024. It also granted permanent residency to 27,400 refugees—more than any other country—underscoring the country’s leadership in refugee integration.
“As G7 host, Canada has a unique opportunity to lead the efforts for peace and rally global support for the dignity and protection of those forced to flee,” said Tracey Maulfair, UNHCR Representative in Canada. “Canada’s leadership in refugee resettlement and integration shows what’s possible when compassion and commitment come together. At a time of global uncertainty, this leadership is more important than ever.”
For more information on this topic, please contact:
- In Ottawa, Levon Sevunts, sevunts@unhcr.org, +1-613-286-6975
