Internal displacement in Africa triples in 15 years since landmark treaty to address it

Geneva – Government efforts to address internal displacement in Africa have been commendable, but not enough, according to a new report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), published today. The number of people living in internal displacement on the continent has tripled, to 35 million, since the adoption of a landmark treaty to address the phenomenon 15 years ago.  

The report, Internal Displacement in Africa: An overview of trends and developments (2009-2023), shows that rising levels of conflict and violence are driving most displacement in Africa, and the number of people forced to flee from disasters is also rising rapidly.  

“The displacement situation in Africa is absolutely critical, but not hopeless,” said Alexandra Bilak, IDMC director. “There are many good examples on the continent of governments working to address its root causes. It’s important for them to keep ownership of this issue and the international community to support their efforts.”  

Of Africa’s 35 million internally displaced people (IDPs) at the end of 2023, 32.5 million were displaced by conflict and violence, and 80 per cent of whom were concentrated in just five countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan.  

The number of times people have been forced to flee disasters each year has risen nearly sixfold, from 1.1 million displacements in 2009 to 6.3 million in 2023. Floods affect all corners of the continent, triggering more than three-quarters of these movements. Droughts account for another 11 per cent.

The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention) put Africa at the forefront of progress in addressing internal displacement when it was adopted in 2009. It set an international standard as the first, and still the only, legally binding regional instrument addressing all causes and phases of internal displacement. It entered into force on 6 December 2012.  

In the years since, 34 countries have ratified the treaty. Many countries have developed legal and policy frameworks and made meaningful investments in addressing internal displacement, including by building national data systems to support evidence-based policies. But with rising conflict and a changing climate making communities more vulnerable, governments have struggled to keep ahead of the issue.  

“Preventing displacement and helping people rebuild their lives requires not only short-term relief but also long-term investments,” added Bilak. “To reverse the trends and keep the promise of the Kampala convention alive for the next fifteen years, governments must redouble commitments to addressing displacement’s underlying drivers through peacebuilding, climate action and sustainable development.”

Displacement disrupts lives, livelihoods, the cultural identity and social ties of entire communities, making them more vulnerable to negative impacts from a wide range of challenges. It can set back a country’s development agenda by disrupting IDPs’ ability to generate income, pay rent or taxes, and by creating additional housing, healthcare, education or protection needs.

“It’s not too late to help those whose lives have been upended when they were forced to flee their homes, but there is no time to lose,” said Bilak. “Helping them find solutions to their displacement is part and parcel of reaching a country’s development goals.”

Read the full report

How to read our data 

Internal displacement refers to the forced movement of people within the country they live in.  

The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) is a snapshot of the total number of people living in internal displacement at a specific point in time in a specific location. For our Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) and the Global Internal Displacement Database (GIDD), we make these snapshots as of the end of each year.  

The number of internal displacements counts each new forced movement of a person within the borders of the country of their habitual residence recorded during the year. The same person or people can be displaced several times over a given period of time. We count each time a person is forced to move as an internal displacement. We also refer to these as movements.  

Learn more in our quick guide on how to read our data.  

About IDMC 

IDMC is the world's leading source of data and analysis on internal displacement. We provide high-quality data, analysis and expertise on internal displacement to inform policy and operational decisions that can improve the lives of internally displaced people (IDPs) worldwide and reduce the risk of future displacement. IDMC was established in 1998 and is part of the Norwegian Refugee Council.  

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