Sudan now has the world's most people displaced at home
Internally displaced people of concern to UNHCR, millions, end of year, 2012–2025, five largest situations.
People displaced inside Sudan at the end of 2025, the world's largest number, down from a peak of 11.6 million in 2024.
Sudan passed Colombia and Syria in 2023, the year war began in April, as its count jumped from 3.6 million to 9.1 million.
Two of the world's three largest displacement situations are now in Africa: Sudan and DR Congo (5.7 million).
the numbers & method
| Year | Sudan (M) | Colombia (M) | Syria (M) | DR Congo (M) | Yemen (M) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 0.4 |
| 2013 | 1.9 | 5.4 | 6.5 | 3.0 | 0.3 |
| 2014 | 2.2 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 2.8 | 0.3 |
| 2015 | 3.2 | 6.9 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| 2016 | 2.2 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
| 2017 | 2.0 | 7.7 | 6.2 | 4.4 | 2.0 |
| 2018 | 1.9 | 7.8 | 6.2 | 4.5 | 2.1 |
| 2019 | 1.9 | 8.0 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 3.6 |
| 2020 | 2.6 | 8.3 | 6.7 | 5.2 | 4.0 |
| 2021 | 3.0 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 5.4 | 4.3 |
| 2022 | 3.6 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 5.5 | 4.5 |
| 2023 | 9.1 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 4.5 |
| 2024 | 11.6 | 7.0 | 7.4 | 6.9 | 4.8 |
| 2025 | 9.1 | 7.2 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 4.8 |
Claim types Fact
UNHCR population statistics API (api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population, coa_all=true), field 'idps' (IDPs of concern to UNHCR), end-year stock, 2025 = end-2025 (Global Trends 2025), read 4 Nov 2026. Values (people) 2022 / 2023 / 2024 / 2025: Sudan 3,552,717 / 9,052,822 / 11,559,970 / 9,139,309; Colombia 6,834,492 / 6,918,373 / 7,031,498 / 7,157,716; Syria 6,780,994 / 7,248,188 / 7,408,909 / 5,542,227; DR Congo 5,541,021 / 6,251,790 / 6,905,511 / 5,669,479; Yemen 4,523,022 / 4,516,341 / 4,795,983 / 4,795,983. Ranking by progrss: Colombia led in 2012, 2015–2020 and 2022; Syria in 2013–2014 and 2021; Sudan has been first since 2023. Sudan 2012 and 2013 are the same figure in UNHCR's series (1,873,300), as are Yemen 2024 and 2025. Colombia's figure comes from its national victims' registry and counts people displaced since 1985 who have not been recorded as having found a durable solution, so it is not a count of recent flight. UNHCR's IDP numbers cover IDPs of concern to UNHCR and can differ from IDMC's global estimates. Next in 2025: Ukraine 3,712,000, Myanmar 3,628,840. Shown in millions, rounded to two decimals.
Published 4 Nov 2026
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