Forced displacements to soar by 4.2 million worldwide by 2027, aid group warns

People stand next to destroyed shelters at a camp for internally displaced people in southern Shan State following a junta airstrike in September 2024 (Photo: AFP)

Wars, conflicts, violence and persecution will drive 4.2 million people from their homes by the end of 2027, not including those affected by the war in the Middle East, a Danish humanitarian aid agency warned Thursday.

The number doesn’t take into account those fleeing their homes due to the current situation in the Middle East as the Danish Refugee Council’s projections were based on data available at the end of 2025, it said in its annual displacement forecast.

The figure of 4.2 million comes on top of the 117.3 million people already displaced worldwide, DRC said.