Forcibly displaced people in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Forcibly displaced people was 29.20 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 29.20 million for forcibly displaced people in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.4% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 33.71 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 14.56 million, in 2011.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 18th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Forcibly displaced people in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 14.68 million | — |
| 2011 | 14.56 million | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 16.02 million | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 20.67 million | +29.1% |
| 2014 | 25.57 million | +23.7% |
| 2015 | 26.65 million | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 24.09 million | -9.6% |
| 2017 | 24.22 million | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 24.50 million | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 26.39 million | +7.7% |
| 2020 | 26.23 million | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 27.53 million | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 30.96 million | +12.5% |
| 2023 | 32.48 million | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 33.71 million | +3.8% |
| 2025 | 29.20 million | -13.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 21.74 million | 14.56 million | 26.65 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.02 million | 26.23 million | 33.71 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
More social development data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4.30 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8.25 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.01 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8.25 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0052 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -42.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4.30 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -33.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Forcibly displaced people in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 29.20 million in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 33.71 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.56 million in 2011.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 18th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.