Three in four displaced people live in climate danger zones, UN says
Summary
The UN refugee agency said nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people—about three-quarters of the global total—live in countries highly exposed to climate hazards. It warned that disasters, heat and drought make return and recovery harder, and called for displaced people to be included in climate plans and funding ahead of COP31 in Turkey.Key Facts
- UNHCR said nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people live in countries highly exposed to climate hazards.
- More than two-thirds of refugees who returned home in the first half of 2026 went to countries highly vulnerable to climate hazards.
- In Syria, declining groundwater and climate shocks threaten recovery; flooding along the Euphrates River in May damaged homes and displaced thousands again.
- UNHCR said one in three refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa could face at least 100 days of dangerous heat each year by 2050.
- Weather-related disasters caused more than 255 million internal displacements worldwide over the past decade, according to UNHCR.
- UNHCR said severe flooding linked to this year's El Niño could displace up to three million people in Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda by the end of 2026.
- Only 10 percent of global climate finance goes to fragile and conflict-affected countries hosting many climate-exposed displaced people, UNHCR said.
- At COP31, UNHCR plans to urge governments and climate finance institutions to include displaced people in national climate plans and funding mechanisms.
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