UNHCR warns nearly 90 million displaced people face climate risks

Nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people are living in countries highly exposed to climate-related hazards, including droughts, floods and extreme heat, the UN refugee agency said, warning that climate change is threatening efforts to find lasting solutions for displaced communities.

Nearly 90 million forcibly displaced people are living in countries highly exposed to climate-related hazards, including droughts, floods and extreme heat, the UN refugee agency said, warning that climate change is threatening efforts to find lasting solutions for displaced communities.

In a report published ahead of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said nearly three-quarters of the world’s forcibly displaced people lived in countries facing high to extreme exposure to climate risks. These include Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

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The agency said more than two-thirds of refugees who returned home during the first half of 2026 went back to countries highly vulnerable to climate hazards, raising concerns about the sustainability of their returns.

“Refugees often have limited access to cooling, water and reliable energy, making it harder to escape dangerous temperatures,” the report said.

UNHCR also warned that a forecast strong El Niño could worsen climate-related risks in countries hosting large displaced populations. In East Africa, severe flooding linked to the weather phenomenon could displace up to three million people in Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda by the end of 2026.

The agency said climate-related threats varied across regions, with drought, flooding and conflict increasing pressure on scarce resources in the Sahel, while parts of Asia faced heightened risks from droughts, floods and cyclones.

Climate change is also threatening the prospects of lasting returns, UNHCR said. In Syria, where nearly four million displaced people have recently returned, declining groundwater supplies and severe climate shocks are undermining recovery. Flooding along the Euphrates River in May damaged homes and displaced thousands again, it added.

The report also warned that extreme heat could pose a growing threat to refugee settlements. By 2050, one in three refugee settlements in sub-Saharan Africa could experience at least 100 days of dangerous heat each year.

UNHCR called on governments and climate-finance institutions meeting at COP31 to increase funding for climate adaptation in fragile and conflict-affected countries, which receive only about 10 percent of global climate finance despite hosting large displaced populations.

“Climate adaptation in fragile and displacement-affected areas is a matter of survival,” said Antón Leis García, UNHCR’s assistant high commissioner for operations.

“We need climate financing to reach the communities where the needs are greatest,” he added.

The agency urged governments to include refugees, stateless people and vulnerable host communities in national climate plans and financing programmes, and to direct more long-term investment towards areas affected by displacement.