HERAT CITY — In 2025, the United Nations refugee agency reported that 10.3 million internally displaced persons and 4.36 million refugees returned to their homes. The agency warned that many individuals were returning to areas experiencing violence and instability.

Overall, nearly 15 million displaced people returned to their countries or areas of origin in 2025. Approximately half of all refugees originate from Venezuela, Palestine, Ukraine, and Syria. Nearly 98 percent of returning refugees in 2025 went back to Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, or Ukraine.

More than three million displaced individuals have returned to Syria since 2024. The al-Assad government was removed from power on December 8, 2024. Refugee Hiam, 37, said, "Returning was beautiful in the sense of going back to one’s country, but it was very exhausting physically, emotionally, financially, and mentally, because everything has changed." Hiam stated, "The reason that pushed us to return was the high cost of living we were facing in the host country. We stayed there for 12 years, and it was a great hardship for us as refugees." Another refugee, Maryam, 30, a widow, said, "Now I have nothing - no job, no home, and no one to turn to."

Globally, 117.8 million people are forcibly displaced, representing one in 70 individuals worldwide. This figure includes 68.6 million internally displaced individuals within their own countries. The agency's mandate covers 28.5 million refugees, while a separate United Nations agency is responsible for 6 million Palestinian refugees. Additionally, 9 million individuals are asylum seekers, and 7.2 million people require international protection.

By the end of 2025, 41.6 million refugees resided outside their countries of origin. Jordan, Colombia, Germany, and Turkiye host significant refugee populations. The number of Afghan refugees decreased from 5.8 million in 2024 to 3.7 million in 2025. Approximately 678,500 Afghans returned during the first five months of 2026.

No independent assessment was available for this report.