UN: 90 Million Displaced People Live in Climate Hotspots
A new report released before the COP31 summit in Turkey reveals that nearly 90 million refugees face severe climate risks, with only 10 percent of global climate finance reaching fragile states.
By Anthony Foster ·
The global climate conference is set to open in Turkey in the coming days, but the United Nations refugee agency warns that the event must address a growing crisis at its core. On Friday, the UNHCR released data showing that the majority of the world's forcibly displaced people live in nations highly exposed to climate hazards.
The report states that approximately three-quarters of the global displaced population resides in these high-risk areas. This figure encompasses nearly 90 million refugees and other individuals forced from their homes by conflict, persecution, or violence.
Anton Leis Garcia, the assistant high commissioner for operations at the UNHCR, characterized this convergence of crises as a double injustice. In a statement, he explained that these individuals fled conflicts they did not create and now find themselves on the frontlines of a climate crisis to which they contributed the least.
The agency notes that people fleeing violence often settle in regions already struggling with severe droughts, deadly floods, and extreme heat. This environment complicates the prospect of durable solutions for displaced populations. In the first half of 2026, more than two-thirds of refugees who returned to their home countries went back to nations highly vulnerable to climate hazards.
Syria illustrates this dynamic. Nearly four million displaced people have recently returned to the country. However, declining groundwater levels and ongoing climate shocks threaten their recovery. In May 2025, flooding along the Euphrates River damaged homes and displaced thousands of people again, reversing progress in post-conflict areas.
Extreme heat poses a specific long-term threat. The UNHCR projects that by 2050, one in three refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa will experience 100 or more days of dangerous heat annually. This rise in temperature will directly impact the living conditions of displaced communities in the region.
Weather-related disasters are also driving internal displacement at a rapid pace. Over the past decade, more than 255 million internal displacements have occurred worldwide. This totals approximately 70,000 people displaced by weather events every day.
The current year has seen an exceptionally strong El Nino weather pattern, which is expected to worsen these figures. Forecasts for East Africa indicate that severe flooding linked to this phenomenon could displace up to three million people across Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda by the end of 2026.
Garcia stated that for millions of people, climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is actively destroying shelters, undermining livelihoods, and putting their hopes of rebuilding their lives at risk. The agency stressed the urgency of addressing these compounded vulnerabilities.
The report identified a major funding gap. Only 10 percent of global climate finance currently goes to fragile and conflict-affected countries that host large populations of climate-exposed displaced people. Ahead of the COP31 summit, the UNHCR plans to call on governments and climate finance institutions to explicitly include refugees and other displaced populations in national climate plans and financing mechanisms.
