Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 70.5 million (2022) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Europe | 7.2 million |
| East and Horn of Africa, and African Great Lakes | 2.6 million |
| Southern Africa | 2.6 million |
| Asia and the Pacific | 1.4 million |
| West and Central Africa | 1.3 million |
| Middle East and North Africa | 0.4 million |
| Americas | 0.2 million |
In 2022, it was estimated there were 70.5 million IDPs worldwide. The first year for which global statistics on IDPs are available was in 1989. As of 3 May 2022, the countries with the largest IDP populations were Ukraine (8 million), Syria (7.6 million), Ethiopia (5.5 million), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5.2 million), Colombia (4.9 million), Yemen (4.3 million), Afghanistan (3.8 million), Iraq (3.6 million), Sudan (2.2 million), South Sudan (1.9 million), Pakistan (1.4 million), Nigeria (1.2 million) and Somalia (1.1 million). More than 85% of Palestinians in Gaza (1.9 million) were internally displaced as of January 2024.
The United Nations and the UNHCR support monitoring and analysis of worldwide IDPs through the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.