Chapter 3
violence was particularly acute in Port-au-Prince,
forcing many to flee within Port-au-Prince and to other
provinces, where they were predominantly hosted
by local families. By the end of 2024, most IDPs
were hosted in the West and Great South regions (39
per cent in each), rather than in Port-au-Prince as in
previous years.157
In Myanmar, 1.4 million people were newly
displaced during the year with the number
remaining displaced reaching 3.5 million at endyear. See the Spotlight on the Myanmar Situation
section above for more details.
Now in its fourth year, the international armed conflict
in Ukraine continued to drive displacement. During
2024, nearly three-quarters of a million (740,000)
Ukrainians were newly displaced within the country.
A similar number of IDPs were estimated to have
returned during the year (782,000), with 3.7 million
IDPs remaining displaced at end-2024, a figure
unchanged from end-2023. In 2024, the intensity of
the fighting increased in the eastern and southern
parts of Ukraine.
In Yemen, nearly 367,300 people were forced to flee
sporadic clashes in several regions,158 causing an
increase of 6 per cent in the overall number of IDPs
within the country, which at the end of 2024 stood at
4.8 million.
Demographics of IDPs
Reliable demographic and sub-national estimates
of IDPs are vital for guiding UNHCR and its partners
in their efforts to protect and assist displaced
populations. In 2024, sub-national data on IDPs was
reported for 31 countries and covered almost all
(98 per cent) of the total IDP population protected/
assisted by UNHCR. Based on the available data, at
least 42 per cent of IDPs reside in urban areas,159
and approximately one-quarter live in settlements,
including camps,160 both in urban and rural settings.
Age- and sex-disaggregated data for IDPs was
available for 16 countries, 2 fewer than the
previous year. This represents 58 per cent of the
IDP population reported by UNHCR, while sex
disaggregation was available for 60 per cent of the
IDP population.
Women and girls made up 53 per cent of all IDPs,
while children accounted for 46 per cent of IDPs
worldwide. Countries with the highest proportion
of internally displaced children included Somalia
(66 per cent) and Burkina Faso (56 per cent), while
the lowest proportion of children were reported in
countries such as Mexico (19 per cent) and Ukraine
(24 per cent).161
Displacement in the context of
disasters
In addition to conflict and violence, people were
displaced within their countries due to disasters, with
record levels reported in 2024. Disasters include
people displaced due to extreme weather events,
such as floods and storms, and those displaced due
to geophysical events, such as earthquakes. The
global forced displacement does not include people
displaced due to disasters.
During the year, 45.8 million internal displacements
due to disasters were reported, with 9.8 million
people remaining displaced within their own
country at the end of 2024, according to the Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre.162 Disaster-related
internal displacement accounted for 70 per cent of all
new displacements in 2024. Slightly more than half of
all disaster-related displacements (54 per cent) were
triggered by cyclones.
157 See Report on the displacement situation in Haiti — Round 9 (December 2024), IOM.
158 See UN warns of escalating conflict in Yemen amid humanitarian crisis, regional tensions, UN news.
159 In the reported data, 61 per cent of locations are classified as “various”, i.e. they include both urban and rural locations. Based on the
countries in which these are reported, it is likely that the actual proportion of IDPs in urban areas is higher than the reported 42 per cent. See
the summary by urban and rural location in annex 14.
160 See Settlement Typologies in Emergencies and the definitions of settlement types and the summary by accommodation type in annex 14.
The proportion in camps or settlements includes formal settlements, informal settlements, collective centres and transit centres. The type
of accommodation is reported as unknown for approximately 35 per cent of the global IDP population. UNHCR estimates that where the
accommodation type is unknown, it is much less likely that the IDPs are in settlements, which typically have centralised, managed services.
161 The proportion of children among people displaced internally in Ukraine (24 per cent) is significantly higher than the proportion among the
Ukrainian population as a whole (18 per cent).
162 See footnote 15.
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UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2024