Global Report on Internal Displacement 2025

Regional Overviews
 
The Americas (Part 3)
Conflict displacement doubles 
The number of internal displacements associated with conflict and violence in the Americas more than doubled in 2024 to 1.5 million, mostly the result of worsening violence in Haiti, persistent conflict in Colombia and new data becoming avail- able in Ecuador. Mexico and Brazil also recorded higher figures than in 2023, albeit on a lesser scale. 
 
Ceasefires between the government of Colombia and several non-state armed groups (NSAGs) led to fewer clashes in 2024. Some did not hold, however, and the number of internal displacements by conflict and violence totalled 388,000 countrywide last year. Many involved smaller-scale and individual movements in response to security threats, intimidation and extorsion. Movement restrictions, curfews and confinements imposed by NSAGs also affected some displaced communities.
 
The Pacific departments of Cauca, Chocó and Nariño reported significant displacement, as in previous years, and African-Colombian and indigenous communities continued to be disproportionately affected. In other departments, including Antioquia and Norte de Santander, clashes between NSAGs and the army and among NSAGs also forced people to flee. In Norte de Santander, the Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela recorded a significant rise in violence and displacement, notably at the end of the year, forcing some people to flee to urban areas.
 
Persistent conflict and a lack of durable solutions meant that the number of IDPs continued to rise, reaching 7.3 million at the end of the year. This is a significant increase from the 5.1 million reported in 2023, but it is also the result of the government revising the number of people who still face vulnerabilities linked to their displacement.
 
New assessments conducted every six months for two years after IDPs’ registration are allowing the government to better understand how IDPs are over- coming their plight and how policies and initiatives are helping them to do so, as mandated by a ruling from the Constitutional Court in 2004. It should be hailed as an example of government-led durable solutions monitoring.
 
Remote surveys in neighbouring Ecuador revealed that conflict and violence triggered nearly 101,000 displacements in 2024, the first time such data has been available for the country. Criminal groups based both in Ecuador and Colombia have increased their activities in recent years, particularly near the capital, Quito, and in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Manabí, El Oroand Guayas. The President issued a decree in January acknowledging the existence of an internal armed conflict and deployed the army.
 
Almost half of the people surveyed said their entire family had fled, reflecting the extent of insecurity in affected communities. The situation also led to temporary school closures. Nearly 49,000 people were still living in displacement across the country at the end of the year.
 
Criminal violence triggered most of the close to 26,000 movements in Mexico, more than double the number recorded in 2023. The figure should still be considered an underestimate, however, since there is no systematic monitoring of the phenomenon. Most displacements occurred in the southern state of Chiapas, which has become a displacement hotspot in recent years given its strategic location on illegal trafficking routes. The municipalities of Tila, Chenalhó and Pantelhó were the most affected. The coastal state of Sinaloa also recorded more than 4,400 movements between September and November.
 
Brazil recorded 19,000 movements, the second-highest since 2021 when data on displacement associated with violence first became available. Most were the result of disputes over land in various states. 
 
In other countries, notably in Central America, displacement trends were comparable with previous years, although significant data gaps continued to hamper an accurate understanding of how many people were living in displacement as a result of conflict and violence. 
 
Guatemala was a notable exception. The National Statistics Office carried a representative survey which deter- mined that the country was home to around 573,000 IDPs, including people who were displaced during the civil war between 1975 and 1997.

Global Report on Internal Displacement 2025. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Norwegian Refugee Council. Geneva, Switzerland.