Global Refugee Trends and Protection Challenges: UNHCR Report 2024

 

Global Refugee Trends and Protection Challenges: UNHCR Report 2024

Alkrty

Human Rights Advocates

Augst, 2025

Key words

§   Forced Displacement in 2024: Data, Crises, and Solutions

§   UNHCR Global Refugee Report 2024: A Statistical and Strategic Overview

§   Lives in Limbo: The Global Displacement Crisis in 2024

§   123 million Displaced: A World on the Move, A System Under Strain

§   No Safe Place: The Rising Tide of Global Displacement

§   Children of Conflict: The Faces Behind the Numbers

§   Beyond Borders: Protecting the Displaced in a Fractured World

§   Unprotected and Unprotected: The Human Cost of Global Inaction

§  Sudan and the Global Displacement Crisis: UNHCR Refugee Report 2024

§  Sudan in Focus: The Epicenter of a Global Refugee Emergency

§  Sudan’s Exodus: A Wake-Up Call for International Protection

§  Sudan’s Lost Millions: Stories from the World’s Largest Displacement Crisis

§  No Way Home: Sudan’s Refugees and the Global Struggle for Safety

§  Sudan Speaks: Voices from the Heart of the Displacement Crisis

§  From Khartoum to the Camps: Sudan’s Displaced and the World’s Response

§  Forced to Flee: Sudan’s Role in Shaping Global Refugee Trends

§  Displacement at Scale: Sudan’s Crisis and Global Implications

Introduction

The Global Refugee Report 2024, published by UNHCR, presents a sobering overview of the escalating displacement crisis worldwide. As of the end of 2024, over 123 million individuals were forcibly displaced due to conflict, persecution, violence, and human rights violations marking a continued upward trend in global displacement. This report synthesizes key data on refugee demographics, host country burdens, protection challenges, and emerging crises across regions such as Sudan, Syria, Myanmar, and Ukraine. It also highlights the urgent need for sustainable solutions, including voluntary returns, resettlement, and pathways to citizenship, while underscoring the growing mental health and protection needs of displaced populations. The findings serve as a critical call to action for governments, humanitarian actors, and civil society to uphold international protection standards and address the root causes of displacement.

Key Global Figures

123.2 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide by end-2024 due to conflict, persecution, violence, and human rights violations.

73.5 million internally displaced people (IDPs).

31 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate.

5.9 million Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate.

8.4 million asylum-seekers.

5.9 million other people in need of international protection.

4.4 million stateless people.

Trends and Demographics

Displacement increased by 6% from 2023.

Children make up 40% of forcibly displaced people, despite being only 29% of the global population.

Women and girls represent 50% of refugees.

Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine account for over one-third of all forcibly displaced people.

Hosting and Protection

73% of refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries.

67% live in countries neighboring their origin.

Lebanon, Aruba, Chad, Curaçao, and Jordan host the highest number of refugees per capita.

Solutions and Returns

9.8 million displaced people returned in 2024:

8.2 million IDPs

1.6 million refugees

188,800 refugees resettled (highest in 40+ years).

47,200 stateless people acquired citizenship.

88,900 refugees naturalized or granted permanent residency.

Humanitarian Challenges

Funding cuts threaten food, shelter, protection services, and data systems.

Lack of resources risks unsafe returns and onward movements.

Mental health needs among refugees are rising, with depression prevalent especially among women, older adults, and urban populations.

Key Displacement Crises

Sudan

14.3 million displaced (largest crisis globally).

2.8 million Sudanese refugees, mainly in Chad, Egypt, and South Sudan.

Syria

6.1 million refugees and asylum-seekers.

7.4 million IDPs.

Fall of Assad government in Dec 2024 sparked hope for return; 1.5 million refugees and 2 million IDPs expected to return in 2025.

Myanmar

3.6 million IDPs.

1.5 million refugees, mostly Rohingya.

Disasters like earthquakes and cyclones worsened displacement.

Sahel Region

3.8 million forcibly displaced.

Violence, terrorism, and floods drive displacement.

Movement restrictions heighten protection risks.

Haiti

Gang violence tripled IDPs to over 1 million.

Acute food insecurity affects 5 million people.

Ukraine

3.7 million IDPs.

5 million+ refugees hosted in Europe.

Ongoing conflict and aerial attacks continue to displace civilians.

Asylum and Protection

4.8 million people sought international protection in 2024.

3.1 million new individual asylum applications.

8.4 million pending asylum claims (highest ever).

55% protection rate in individual procedures.

Mental Health Insights

Refugees face higher rates of depression than host communities.

Urban refugees and those with poor living conditions are more vulnerable.

Access to mental health services is declining due to funding cuts.

Statelessness

Rohingya remains the largest stateless group (1.8 million).

Thailand, South Sudan, Turkmenistan made progress in resolving statelessness.

Global Alliance to End Statelessness launched in 2024 with 141 members.

Conclusion

The 2024 report reveals that forced displacement has reached unprecedented levels, with vulnerable populations especially children, women, and stateless persons bearing the brunt of protracted crises and deteriorating humanitarian conditions. Despite notable progress in resettlement and return efforts, the global response remains constrained by funding shortfalls, political instability, and limited access to durable solutions. As displacement becomes increasingly complex and prolonged, the international community must recommit to principles of solidarity, protection, and shared responsibility. Strengthening legal frameworks, investing in mental health and social services, and supporting host countries are essential to safeguarding the rights and dignity of displaced people. The report is both a record of global failure and a roadmap for collective action demanding urgent, coordinated efforts to reverse the tide of displacement and restore hope to millions.

Alkrty

Human Rights Advocates

Augst, 2025