Record 83.4m people displaced inside their countries in 2024 - New report warns of growing crisis

A new report reveals that 83.4 million people were internally displaced by the end of 2024. These individuals were forced to leave their homes but remained in their countries.

The Global Report on Internal Displacement 2025 (GRID) was released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). It shows an increase of 7.5 million from 2023, which was also a record year. The main causes are conflict and disasters.

In 2024, 20.1 million people were newly displaced due to conflict. More than 9 million of these came from Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

IOM Director General Amy Pope stated, “These figures are a clear warning.” She emphasized that without bold action, internal displacement will continue to rise.

The IDMC report calls for preventive measures. It urges the use of data to anticipate displacement before it occurs. Additionally, it encourages collaboration between humanitarian sectors and governments for long-term solutions.

Disasters caused more displacements in 2024 than ever before. A record 45.8 million new disaster displacements were recorded last year. This number is nearly double the average over the past decade. While many returned home, about 9.8 million remained displaced at year’s end.

Twenty-nine countries reported their highest numbers of disaster displacements ever recorded. Cyclones accounted for 54% of all disaster displacements last year.

Experts warn that climate change may worsen these numbers with more severe weather events. The report stresses the need for good data to prepare for and reduce displacement.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a key partner in the GRID report. It provides much of the data through its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). This matrix is the world’s largest source on internal displacement statistics.

More than half of this year's report numbers come from IOM's work. Governments and aid organizations use the GRID report to plan assistance for displaced people and find lasting solutions.