Global internal displacement hits record 83.4 million amid conflict and climate crises

The number of people forcibly displaced within their own countries surged to a record 83.4 million by the end of 2024, a figure equal to the population of Germany, according to a report released Tuesday by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

This unprecedented rise—up 10% from 75.9 million at the end of 2023—was largely driven by intensifying armed conflicts in Sudan and Gaza, alongside a surge in climate-related disasters.

“Internal displacement is where conflict, poverty and climate collide, hitting the most vulnerable the hardest,” said Alexandra Bilak, director of the IDMC. “These latest numbers prove that internal displacement is not just a humanitarian crisis; it’s a clear development and political challenge.”

The report reveals a staggering 50% increase in internal displacement over the past six years, with the number of countries experiencing large-scale displacements tripling over the past 15 years.

Conflict Drives Majority of Displacements

By the end of 2024, nearly 90% of displaced people (73.5 million) had fled their homes due to violence or armed conflict—an 80% increase since 2018. Ten countries, including Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Palestine, each reported over 3 million conflict-related displacements, double the number from just four years ago.

Sudan alone recorded 11.6 million internally displaced people—the highest number ever recorded in a single country. In Gaza, nearly the entire population had been displaced by the end of 2024, even before fresh mass movements triggered by Israeli bombardments that resumed on March 18 after a two-month ceasefire.

The combined toll from conflict in Sudan, Palestine, and the DRC amounted to 12.3 million displacements, representing nearly 60% of all conflict-related movements worldwide last year.

Climate and Disaster Displacement Surging

Disasters accounted for an additional 9.8 million people living in displacement by year’s end—a 29% increase from 2023, and more than double the number reported five years ago. Most were the result of weather-related events, which comprised 99.5% of all disaster displacements in 2024.

In total, disasters caused 45.8 million displacements, the highest annual total ever recorded since IDMC began tracking such data in 2008. This figure is more than double the annual average over the past decade.

Major storms like Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the United States, and Typhoon Yagi in East Asia, accounted for 54% of these displacements. Flooding, which occurred on every continent, was responsible for another 42%.

The United States recorded the highest number of disaster displacements globally, with 11 million, nearly a quarter of the worldwide total. Many of these were pre-emptive evacuations, a life-saving measure increasingly adopted in countries such as the Philippines, Bangladesh, and the U.S.

Despite incomplete data, 53 countries reported using pre-emptive evacuations, suggesting the actual number is significantly higher.

A Converging Crisis

Nearly three-quarters of those displaced by conflict lived in areas highly vulnerable to climate change, creating overlapping crises that strain already fragile systems and prolong recovery.

The number of countries experiencing both conflict and disaster displacement has tripled since 2009. “The cost of inaction is rising, and displaced people are paying the price,” Bilak warned.

Humanitarian Funding Under Pressure

The grim findings come as humanitarian operations are being severely hampered by global funding shortfalls, particularly following U.S. aid cuts implemented by President Donald Trump’s administration.

“Every time humanitarian funding gets cut, another displaced person loses access to food, medicine, safety, and hope,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the NRC. “The lack of progress is both a policy failure and a moral stain on humanity.”

Egeland called the numbers a “wake-up call for global solidarity,” stressing that internally displaced persons (IDPs) are often overlooked compared to refugees who cross international borders.

As crises deepen and climate shocks grow more severe, the report urges urgent international action to tackle the root causes of displacement and to better protect those forced to flee in their own homelands.