IDMC: Conflict leads in cause of internal displacement worldwide in 2025

Conflicts and violence became the leading cause of new internal displacement worldwide in 2025, surpassing natural disasters for the first time, according to a report released on May 12 by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) in Geneva.

The report said 32.2 million cases of internal displacement linked to conflict and violence were recorded during the year, marking a 60% increase compared to 2024. Nearly two-thirds of those displacement cases occurred in Iran and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Caliber.Az reports per the report.

At the same time, natural disasters such as storms and floods caused 29.9 million displacement events, representing a 35% decline from the previous year.

The IDMC clarified that the figures refer to “displacement events,” meaning that one person may have been displaced multiple times during the year.

Internally displaced persons are people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, or disasters while remaining within their own countries, unlike refugees who cross international borders. The IDMC, established by the Norwegian Refugee Council, compiles data from governments and United Nations agencies.

According to the report, the total number of internally displaced people worldwide stood at 82.2 million by the end of 2025, slightly below the 83.5 million recorded a year earlier, but still the second-highest figure since records began in 1998.

The highest numbers of internally displaced persons were recorded in Sudan, Colombia, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the growing displacement crisis reflected a broader international failure to protect civilians.

By Sabina Mammadli