Refugees and Asylum-seekers in West and Central Africa
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations
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Refugees & Asylum-seekers /Location
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| Location name | Source | Data date | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | Government, UNHCR | 31 May 2025 | 0.8% | 27,887 |
| Burkina Faso | Government, UNHCR | 31 Oct 2025 | 1.2% | 42,467 |
| Cabo Verde | Government, UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 0.0% | 7 |
| Cameroon | Government, UNHCR | 31 Oct 2025 | 11.7% | 425,088 |
| Central African Republic | Government, UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 1.7% | 63,192 |
| Chad | Government, UNHCR | 2 Nov 2025 | 40.4% | 1,462,621 |
| Cote d'Ivoire | Government, UNHCR | 31 May 2025 | 2.2% | 79,286 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Government, Partners, UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 14.1% | 510,786 |
| Gabon | UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 0.0% | 259 |
| Gambia | Government, UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 0.1% | 4,622 |
| Ghana | Government, UNHCR | 29 Sep 2025 | 0.9% | 30,844 |
| Guinea | Government, UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 0.1% | 2,350 |
| Guinea-Bissau | Government, UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 0.0% | 69 |
| Liberia | Government, UNHCR | 31 May 2025 | 0.1% | 1,863 |
| Mali | Government, UNHCR | 1 Nov 2025 | 6.9% | 251,037 |
| Niger | Government, UNHCR | 31 Oct 2025 | 11.9% | 431,971 |
| Nigeria | Government, UNHCR | 1 Oct 2025 | 3.9% | 142,557 |
| Republic of the Congo | Government, UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 1.9% | 70,173 |
| Senegal | Government, UNHCR | 30 Sep 2025 | 0.4% | 13,567 |
| Togo | Government, UNHCR | 31 May 2025 | 1.7% | 60,798 |
IDPs in West and Central Africa
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations
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Internally displaced persons / Location
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| Location name | Source | Data date | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | Government, NGO, UNHCR, Various | 30 Jun 2025 | 0.1% | 8,785 |
| Burkina Faso | Government | 31 Mar 2023 | 14.9% | 2,062,534 |
| Cameroon | IOM, OCHA | 31 Oct 2025 | 7.0% | 969,273 |
| Central African Republic | Government, UNHCR | 31 Aug 2025 | 3.2% | 442,320 |
| Chad | IOM | 31 May 2025 | 1.6% | 225,689 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Government, IOM, UNHCR | 31 Aug 2025 | 41.2% | 5,713,245 |
| Mali | Government | 31 Dec 2024 | 2.9% | 402,167 |
| Niger | Government | 31 Oct 2025 | 3.3% | 459,585 |
| Nigeria | IOM, NEMA | 1 Oct 2025 | 25.8% | 3,575,114 |
| Togo | Government, IOM, UNHCR | 31 May 2025 | 0.1% | 10,171 |
REFUGEE RETURNEES (Cumulative figures from January 2025 to date)
Last updated 30 September 2025 - Source: UNHCR, Government
39,743
STATELESS AND OF UNDETERMINED NATIONALY
Last updated 30 September 2025 - Source: UNHCR, Government
931,073
Dashboards
LATEST DOCUMENTS
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OPERATIONAL UPDATE - Quarterly | July - September 2025
documentBurkina Faso continues to face one of the most severe displacement crises in the region. As of 31 March 2023, government data reported over 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), reflecting th...Publish date: 13 November 2025 (1 day ago)
Create date: 13 November 2025 (17 hours ago) -
NIGER OPERATION - FACTSHEET - January-June 2025
documentUNHCR supports States to protect and assist forcibly displaced and stateless people, ensuring their access to territory, an environment in which rights are respected. UNHCR programmes contributed to...Publish date: 7 October 2025 (1 month ago)
Create date: 7 October 2025 (1 month ago) -
OPERATIONAL UPDATE - Niger - April-June 2025
documentLe HCR appuie le Gouvernement dans sa réponse en faveur des réfugiés et des déplacés internes originaires des pays du Sahel central, du Nigéria, ainsi que dans la gestion des mouvements mixtes de pop...Publish date: 2 October 2025 (1 month ago)
Create date: 2 October 2025 (1 month ago) -
OPERATIONAL UPDATE - Mali - April-June 2025
documentDuring the second quarter of 2025, despite persistent security and humanitarian challenges, Mali continued to welcome large influxes of refugees, mainly from Burkina Faso, followed by those from N...Publish date: 2 October 2025 (1 month ago)
Create date: 2 October 2025 (1 month ago) -
OPERATIONAL UPDATE - Central African Republic - April-June 2025
documentIn collaboration with the National Refugee Commission (NRC) and the humanitarian community, UNHCR is protecting and providing multi-sectoral assistance covering protection, shelter, health, education...Publish date: 2 October 2025 (1 month ago)
Create date: 2 October 2025 (1 month ago)
New Document
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Based in Dakar, Senegal, the UNHCR Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa (RBWCA) oversees operations in 23 countries across the region. These include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Following a restructuring in October 2025, the bureau expanded its mandate to include two countries previously under the Southern Africa (SA) regional bureau. In addition to the main bureau, there is a Multi-Country Office (MCO) located in Cameroon, which covers Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Congo.
The bureau is responsible for strategic decision-making and identifying regional priorities, as well as ensuring oversight of integrity and delivering quality assurance across its operations. It also plays a key role in coordinating responses to ongoing and emerging crises in the region, including:
RBWCA also provides technical support to country operations, ensuring that humanitarian responses are effective and sustainable across key sectors such as education, child protection, economic inclusion, and durable solutions. These efforts not only address immediate humanitarian needs but also contribute to long-term development and resilience in the region.
The bureau is responsible for strategic decision-making and identifying regional priorities, as well as ensuring oversight of integrity and delivering quality assurance across its operations. It also plays a key role in coordinating responses to ongoing and emerging crises in the region, including:
• Sahel plus Situation- • Central African Republic (CAR) Situation
- • Lake Chad Basin Situation
- • DRC Situation
- • And Impact of Sudan situation on Central Africa Republic and Chad operation
RBWCA also provides technical support to country operations, ensuring that humanitarian responses are effective and sustainable across key sectors such as education, child protection, economic inclusion, and durable solutions. These efforts not only address immediate humanitarian needs but also contribute to long-term development and resilience in the region.
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Gulf of Guinea Joint Response Plan 2024 - Regional Report
Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo experienced a significant increase in the number of refugees and asylum-seekers from the central Sahel in 2024. By the end of December, the four countries were ...Publish date: 7 May 2025
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Gulf of Guinea Joint Response Plan 2024 - Benin Report
By the end of 2024, Benin hosts close to 25,000 refugees and asylum-seekers (among which 20,357 are registered) in the northern part of the country. 9,847 refugees were registered in 2024 in the A...Publish date: 7 May 2025
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Gulf of Guinea Joint Response Plan 2024 - Côte d’Ivoire Report
The year 2024 was marked by a significant increase in the number of registered asylum-seekers present in the northern regions of Côte d’Ivoire from 36,729 in December 2023 to 65,962 in December 2024...Publish date: 7 May 2025
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Gulf of Guinea Joint Response Plan 2024 - Ghana Report
The total estimated number of asylum-seekers is more than 17,000 in the Upper East, Upper West, and Bono East (the latest) regions of Ghana by the end of 2024. 9,444 asylum-seekers are registered,...Publish date: 7 May 2025
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Gulf of Guinea Joint Response Plan 2024 - Togo Report
In January 2025, the CNAR (National Coordination for Refugee Assistance) and PURS (Emergency Programme for the Strengthening of Resilience and Security of Communities) reported 49,672 forcibly disp...Publish date: 7 May 2025
UNHCR West and Central Africa Funding
$1,115,136,879
Total appeal
| Date of Funding Data | 31 January 2024 (1 year ago) |









