One of the major findings of the Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026, published on Tuesday by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), shows that the world has never had so many internally displaced people.
According to the Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026 (GRID 2026), 82.2 million people were living in internal displacement by the end of 2025. This number nearly doubled in the span of ten years, highlighting the magnitude of a crisis now deemed structural and global.
Conflicts Surpass Natural Disasters
In 2025, conflicts and violence led to 32.3 million new instances of internal displacement, a 60% increase compared to 2024. For the first time since data collection began, conflicts have surpassed natural disasters as the primary driver of forced displacement.
International wars, persistent internal conflicts, attacks on urban areas: the growing instability is forcing millions of civilians to flee, often multiple times, without ever leaving their country’s borders.
“The same people are uprooted again and again, while the systems meant to protect them weaken,” warns IDMC director Tracy Lucas.
Climate Disasters: a Persistent Danger
Natural disasters remain a major cause of displacement. Storms, floods, fires, and other climate-related events resulted in 29.9 million internal displacements in 2025. While this number decreased compared to 2024, which was marked by exceptional disasters, it still exceeded the average of the last decade.
The report emphasizes the increasing impact of climate change, altering the geography of risks: countries once relatively spared are now experiencing massive displacements, while chronically vulnerable areas remain exposed.
Sub-Saharan Africa on the Frontline
With 31.7 million internally displaced people, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for almost 40% of the global total, despite a slight decrease recorded in 2025. A decrease partly linked to some returns in certain countries, but often in precarious and unstable conditions.
Two countries alone concentrate a massive portion of conflict-related displacements: Iran, with approximately 10 million internal displacements, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with over 9.7 million. Together, they represent nearly two-thirds of conflict-related displacements recorded worldwide in 2025.
The Middle East, South Asia, the Americas, as well as certain regions in Europe and Central Asia are also heavily affected by instability and violence.
A Long-lasting Crisis with Insufficient Solutions
Beyond the numbers, the report stresses the lack of sustainable solutions for millions of internally displaced people. Insecure returns, lack of local integration, inadequate public policies: for many states, internal displacement is treated as a temporary humanitarian emergency rather than a long-term development issue.
In a context of increasing humanitarian needs and declining financial resources, IDMC calls for strengthening national data collection systems, conflict prevention, and adaptation to climate change.
A Warning for the International Community
The message of GRID 2026 is clear: without strong and coordinated political action, the number of internally displaced people will continue to rise. “Internal displacement is no longer a marginal crisis but a lasting reality of our world,” warns IDMC.
This warning primarily concerns affected countries, but also the entire international community facing an increasingly profound global instability.
