Chapter 1
Figure 2 | Refugee returns, refugee resettlement and naturalization and IDP returns | 2015 - 2024
Refugee returns
Resettlement*
200K
1.5M
150K
1.0M
100K
Number of people
500K
0
50K
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2016
Naturalization
100K
2018
2020
2022
2024
2022
2024
IDP returns
7.5M
75K
5.0M
50K
2.5M
25K
0
0
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
0
2016
2018
2020
* Resettlement figures are according to government statistics.
The past year saw the highest number of refugees
resettled for more than 40 years, as more than
188,800 refugees were able to start the process of
rebuilding their lives in safety in a third country.46
Expanding access to third country solutions
strengthens refugees’ protection as well as providing
opportunities for them to rebuild their lives.47 It also
contributes towards more equitable responsibilitysharing with major refugee-hosting countries, helping
to ease the pressure on them.48 In addition, allowing
refugees to work or study in another country can
be mutually beneficial: refugees are protected
and empowered, while States gain access to their
untapped potential. Complementary pathways also
enable refugees to safely move to another country
by applying for work, study or to reunite with family.
While data is not yet available for 2024, between
2019 and 2023, at least 941,000 refugees were
able to gain legal access to a third country through
complementary pathways.49 At times temporary
opportunities to work or study provided through
complementary pathways may lead to refugees
attaining a more sustainable permanent status,
allowing refugees to support themselves to reach
a durable solution. In 2025, achieving similar levels
of resettlement will be challenging as commitments
by governments towards resettlement reduce.50
Meanwhile UNHCR projects 2.9 million refugees will
46 Reporting of refugee resettlement commenced in 1959. See the data publication timeline and data availability on the UNHCR Refugee Data
Finder methodology page. Reported resettlement arrivals were higher in 1980 and 1981.
47 Key objective 3: Expand access to third-country solutions. See The Global Compact on Refugees, UNHCR.
48 Key objective 2: Ease the pressure on host countries. See The Global Compact on Refugees, UNHCR.
49 See OECD-UNHCR Safe Pathways for Refugees V, OECD and UNHCR. The project began in 2018 and compiles data from 38 Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and Brazil. It focuses on the number of first-time entry permits issued to eight
nationalities (Afghans, Eritreans, Iranians, Iraqis, Sudanese, Syrians, Somalis, and Venezuelans) for family, education, work and sponsorship purposes.
50 Globally, despite 2.9 million refugees projected to be in need of resettlement in 2025 – including over half a million Afghan refugees – the
available resettlement quota has dropped sharply, from 195,069 in 2024 to just 31,281 in 2025. See UNHCR welcomes arrival of first Afghan
refugee families under Brazil’s pioneering Community Sponsorship Programme, UNHCR.
UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2024
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