The UN Refugee Agency said on Thursday that global refugee numbers fell by three per cent to 41.6 million in 2025, marking the first decline in a decade but remaining “unacceptably high”.

The UNHCR said in a statement after the launch of the Global Trends Report on Thursday that, despite the decline, 70 per cent of refugees remain in long-term displacement, often living below the poverty line.

A total of 5.4 million people fled their countries due to violence and persecution in 2025.

At the same time, 14.7 million displaced people, including 4.4 million refugees and 10.3 million internally displaced persons, returned to their homes in 2025, with most returns recorded in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Syria.

“Refugee returns were the second-highest since records began 60 years ago, though many occurred under pressure and in precarious conditions at home,” the UNHCR said.

In total, 68.6 million people were displaced due to conflict at the end of 2025, representing a seven per cent decrease from 2024, it said.

“Sudan remained the largest crisis globally with 9.1 million displaced within the country,” the agency added.

More than 70 per cent of refugees and people in need of protection originated from Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela, with Colombia hosting 2.8 million, Germany 2.7 million, Türkiye 2.4 million, Uganda 1.9 million, Iran 1.7 million, Chad 1.5 million, and Pakistan 1.3 million.

The agency estimated that 4.5 million stateless people were recorded in 2025—a three per cent increase from 2024—with 46,000 acquiring citizenship in 24 countries.

UN high commissioner for refugees Barham Salih decried that many refugees were stuck in “protracted displacement”, urging the international community to shift from long-term humanitarian dependence toward self-reliance.

He called for more reintegration of refugees into national systems, including education, healthcare, financial services, and labour markets.

The official said the UN aimed to cut the number of refugees in long-term displacement by half in 2035 by focusing on their return, relocation, and humanitarian visas.

Mr Salih stressed the need for more investment in hosting countries and noted that refugee arrivals through resettlement or sponsorship dropped to 81,800 in 2025.

He called for more urgent solutions, including resettlement for the most vulnerable cases, family reunification, and access to work permits and scholarships.

“Asylum and protection are life-saving and not up for debate, but we cannot accept a future in which millions of refugees remain trapped for years or decades without realistic prospects of rebuilding their lives,” Mr Salih added.