Over 122 million people are now forcibly displaced across the globe, the UN Refugee Agency reports, the highest number ever recorded. Wars in Sudan, Ukraine, and Myanmar are among the leading drivers of this deepening global crisis.
Years of worsening crises include extended military conflicts and civil wars, as well as state collapse, persecution, and climate-driven displacement. The surge in 2024 was fuelled in part by increasing conflict in Sudan, ongoing hostilities with Ukraine, and deteriorating conditions in Myanmar.
This displacement is not limited to border crossings. Over 73 million people remain displaced within their own countries, often trapped in conflict zones with little safety or support. Meanwhile, others, such as refugees and asylum seekers, are locked in a state of uncertainty, with restricted access to essential services, legal protection, and resettlement chances. Many people have fled not once, but several times, as violence follows them from region to region.
The UNHCR also warned of a concerning trend: what were once short-term catastrophes are now long-term humanitarian crises. Conflicts are lasting longer, peace talks are failing, and climate change is compounding instability. Drought, floods, and resource scarcity are driving people out of rural communities, particularly in portions of Africa and South Asia, worsening already volatile situations.
Nonetheless, there are modest hints of progress. In 2023, nearly 5 million displaced people returned home, including 2 million Syrians. However, with global aid stretched thin and the causes of displacement deepening from war and persecution to a mounting climate crisis, the road ahead remains uncertain. As the number of uprooted people grows, the question remains: how long can the world look away before displacement becomes the new normal?
