Global refugee numbers declined in 2025 by three per cent to 41.6 million just as 5.4 million people escaped violence and persecution by fleeing to other countries in the same year.
UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, who disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in New York, said the Global Trends Report released by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) showed that global forced displacement had decreased for the first time in a decade while remaining unacceptably high.
According to the UNHCR Refugee Data Finder, Nigeria currently hosts approximately 140,000 refugees and asylum-seekers (predominantly from Cameroon) and over 3.7 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The Finder noted that across West and Central Africa, forced displacement remains high, with regional movements and conflicts in neighboring countries affecting stability while over 68% of refugees globally are hosted by low- and middle-income nations like Nigeria, which face intense strains on local resources, healthcare, and education systems.
According to the UN Spokesperson: “The report showed that returns are also gathering pace; 14.7 million displaced people returned to their areas or countries of origin in 2025, with a sharp increase in Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria.
“Refugee returns were the second highest since records began 60 years ago, though UNHCR many occurred under pressure and to precarious conditions at home.
“70 per cent of refugees trapped in exile for years and many living below the poverty line.’’
Barham Salih, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, urged the international community to back a new initiative to lift millions out of long-term displacement and reliance on humanitarian aid.
Salih outlined a clear and measurable goal: to reduce by more than half, over the next decade, the number of refugees in long-term displacement reliant on humanitarian assistance, improving prospects for millions of people
The report also flagged a sharp drop in resettlement, with arrivals through resettlement or sponsorship pathways falling by more than half, year on year, to just 81,800 in 2025.
It noted there was widening gap between available places and pressing needs.
The report says more than 70 per cent of refugees originated from Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela.
The largest hosting countries, it said, were Colombia, Germany and Türkiye.
“Asylum and protection are lifesaving and not up for debate.
“We cannot accept a future in which millions of refugees remain trapped for years or decades without realistic prospects of rebuilding their lives,” Salih said.
Written with additional reports from NAN