The UNHCR reported that the Americas had 22.8 million people forcibly displaced in 2025, up from 21.9 million the previous year. Colombia became the world's largest host country, sheltering 2.8 million people while also reporting 7.2 million internally displaced. Venezuela remains a primary driver of regional displacement, and Haiti saw a sharp rise in internal displacement amid expanding gang violence. The report also highlights integration measures, including regularization programs and private‑sector partnerships to help displaced people access work and services.
U.N.: Americas Lead Global Forced Displacement In 2025 — Colombia Emerges As Top Host
People displaced by violence live in a refugee camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in late May Haiti faces brutal gang violence, deteriorating living conditions for millions of people and an inadequate international response to these protracted crises, Amnesty International has reported. Photo by Jonet St Elois/EPA
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Friday that the Americas were the world's leading region for forced displacement in 2025, with 22.8 million refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people and others in need of international protection — up from 21.9 million a year earlier. The increase was driven primarily by crises in Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, Colombia and parts of northern Central America.
Colombia Becomes The Largest Host Country
By the end of 2025 Colombia was hosting 2.8 million people, most of them Venezuelans, surpassing traditional host countries such as Germany, Turkey and Uganda. UNHCR credited Bogotá's regularization policies for enabling millions of migrants to obtain documentation, access employment and basic services, and better integrate into local communities.
At the same time, Colombia faces a deep internal displacement crisis. The national Victims Unit reported that 7.2 million people continue to live in conditions of internal displacement caused by armed conflict and violence, while the cumulative historical registry exceeds 8.9 million victims.
"The Americas demonstrate that solidarity and shared responsibility produce real results for people and societies," said Juan Carlos Murillo, UNHCR's regional official for the Americas.
The Venezuelan Exodus
The Venezuelan crisis remains a principal driver of regional displacement. At the end of 2025 there were about 417,000 Venezuelan refugees and a further 6 million people considered in need of international protection; 97% of them remained in Latin America and the Caribbean. Colombia hosted the largest displaced Venezuelan population (2.8 million), followed by Peru (1.1 million), Brazil (699,000), Chile (662,600) and Ecuador (435,800).
The Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V) estimates nearly 7 million Venezuelans remain outside the country. While returns to Venezuela have increased in recent years, a UNHCR survey across six countries found only 9% of displaced Venezuelans plan to return within the next 12 months — most condition return on meaningful improvements in living conditions.
Haiti: A Rapidly Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
Haiti recorded one of the sharpest deteriorations in the region. UNHCR reported 1.4 million internally displaced people in 2025 (an increase of 38% year-on-year); the International Organization for Migration (IOM) this month put the figure at roughly 1.47 million — about 12% of Haiti's population — noting that more than half of those displaced are women and girls.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimated in April that over 6 million Haitians need urgent humanitarian assistance. The ICRC also reported that gang influence now extends across roughly 85% of Port-au-Prince, a dynamic that has driven displacement and intensified the humanitarian emergency.
Asylum Claims And Integration Efforts
UNHCR's report also found that 987,700 people from countries in the Americas sought international protection in other parts of the world during 2025 — roughly one in five asylum applications registered globally. Major countries of origin included Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Haiti and Colombia.
Despite the rise in displacement, UNHCR highlighted regional progress on inclusion and integration: regularization programs, expanded access to employment and partnerships with the private sector. More than 1,500 companies across eight countries are participating in initiatives to help incorporate displaced people into the labor market.
Implications: The report underscores both the scale of forced displacement in the Americas and the complex mix of national and regional responses — from large-scale hosting and regularization in countries like Colombia to deepening humanitarian needs in Haiti. Continued international support, durable solutions and inclusive integration policies will be critical to easing the crisis and stabilizing affected communities.
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