Conflict displaced more peopleConflict displaced more people than disasters in 2025, monitors report
For the first time on record, armed conflict and violence drove more internal displacement than natural disasters in 2025, according to international monitors.
Crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Iran, and Lebanon contributed to millions fleeing their homes, while disaster-driven displacement fell 35 percent compared to the previous year.
The shift underscores how geopolitical instability has become a primary driver of forced migration globally.
- Lebanon hosts over 1.5 million Syrian refugees, among the highest per capita worldwide.
- Iran's 2025 clashes involved Baloch insurgents seeking independence in the resource-rich Sistan and Baluchestan province.
- The UN's Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre has tracked global IDP trends since 1999.
Sudan Civil War
Sudan's civil war has entered its fourth year, increasingly resembling a war of attrition defined by a de facto territorial division between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the SAF recently reclaiming the presidential palace in central Khartoum as a major tactical victory[1][3].
1 January
Open fighting breaks out between the SAF and RSF and spreads across Sudan.1 January
Talks over integrating the RSF into the army fail to resolve the power struggle.1 January
A military takeover ends the civilian transition and deepens rivalry between Burhan and Hemedti.
