Refugee numbers dropped in 2025 – but aid cuts and others trends suggest little to celebrate

The drop in funding has also led donors to prioritize the trend of using aid to control the movement of people – over their needs.

By: Kelsey Norman, Rice University and Nicholas R. Micinski, American University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 18, 2026

Words: 1,345

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Kelsey Norman, Rice University and Nicholas R. Micinski, American University

There was surprisingly good news when the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, released its latest report on June 10: The number of displaced people in the world fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade.

But there are some serious caveats. Many of the people who returned home in 2025 did so to countries such as Syria, still recovering from more …

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