Children make up a far larger share of the world’s displaced people than of its population. These are the most recent figures from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, updated as new reports are published.
How many people are forcibly displaced?
117.8 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide at the end of 2025. That is about 1 in every 70 people on earth.
How many refugees are children?
Children account for 39% of the world’s forcibly displaced people, even though they make up only 29% of the world’s population.
How many refugee children are out of school?
In 2025, 5.8 million school age refugee children were out of school, 44% of the estimated 13.1 million school age refugee children worldwide.
What happens as refugee children get older?
In 2025, 65% of refugee children of primary school age were enrolled in primary school, but only 32% were enrolled in secondary school. Enrollment in higher education reached a record 11%.
How long do refugees stay displaced?
Most displacement is long term. In 2025, 70% of refugees were in protracted situations, displaced for years without a lasting solution.
Why do play and learning matter?
For children, play is how they process experience, rebuild trust and recover a sense of safety, and school gives them routine, friends and a future. That is why Little Smiles Foundation leads with play and learning.
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Last updated October 2026.