Almost 2.4 million refugees will need resettling next year, at a time when a number of countries have slashed resettlement spots, according to the United Nations; refugee agency UNHCR.

Afghan refugees are the largest group in need of resettlement, followed by people from South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, living in vast camps in Bangladesh.

At the same time, UNHCR warned of a dire shortage of options for such refugees, who cannot return home and face risks in their country of asylum.

In its annual Projected Global Resettlement Needs report, UNHCR said 2.37 million people from 43 countries of origin and living in 76 countries of asylum would need resettling elsewhere next year.

An urgent expansion of refugee resettlement is needed as new projections highlight a continued gap between global needs and available places, the report said.

The 2.4 million figure is down six per cent from last year’s report.

UNHCR’s durable solutions head Jackie Keegan said that expanding resettlement was urgent and achievable.

“Increased quotas, bringing more countries on board, and accelerating processing will ensure this life-saving tool reaches more of those in need,” she said.

Ms Keegan said the six per cent annual drop was partially due to Afghans returning from in Iran and Pakistan “under adverse circumstances” and the overthrow of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 opening the way for voluntary returns.

In 2025, only around 37,000 refugees left for a new country through UNHCR-assisted resettlement. That figure was down from 116,000 in 2024.

That decline was largely due to the US, for years the world’s biggest resettlement destination for refugees, which slashed refugee admissions shortly after the Trump administration returned to office last year.

Ms Keegan said that other long-term resettlement countries had either dropped or suspended their quotas.

Countries hosting the largest refugee populations have continued to call for greater international responsibility-sharing as pressure on local systems grows. 

Low- and middle-income countries host nearly 68 per cent of the world’s refugees, stretching public services and resources despite continued efforts to support displaced communities. 

“Expanding resettlement is urgent and achievable. Increasing quotas, bringing more countries on board, and accelerating processing would ensure that this life-saving tool reaches more of those most in need,” Ms Keegan said.

In its recent 2026-27 federal budget, the Australian Government confirmed it would maintain its annual refugee intake at 20,000.

Marking the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention this year, UNHCR called on governments to recommit to refugee protection and expand pathways to durable solutions. 

“Resettlement is not charity, but an enduring solution that helps break the displacement cycle for future generations,” the agency said in a statement.