Nearly 2.4 million refugees worldwide are expected to be in urgent need of resettlement by 2027, according to a new report released on Tuesday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The estimate refers to 2027 and covers refugees who cannot safely return to their countries of origin and who are either unsafe or unable to receive adequate support in their host countries.
However, the number of available resettlement places falls hundreds of thousands short of the projected need, the UN agency said.
Many countries have sharply reduced or suspended refugee resettlement programmes, according to Jackie Keegan, head of UNHCR's office of sustainable solutions.
Governments have increasingly argued that priority should be given to supporting people already living in their own countries.
As a result, only about 37,000 refugees were resettled in 2025, down from 116,000 the previous year.
Canada accepted the largest number, taking in nearly 12,000 refugees, followed by Australia, the United States, France and New Zealand, according to the report.
Keegan said those identified for resettlement include people with serious medical conditions that cannot be treated in their host countries, as well as women forced into sex work who have subsequently been rejected by their families and communities.
UNHCR's latest projections show global resettlement needs easing by around 6% in 2028 compared with 2027.
The decline partly reflects changing conditions in Syria, where more people have returned since Bashar al-Assad's government was toppled in December 2024.
However, the lower estimate also reflects the forced return of hundreds of thousands of Afghans from countries including Iran and Pakistan, reducing the number of refugees registered as needing resettlement rather than signalling an improvement in humanitarian conditions.
