Nation accounts for 2.33 million internally displaced persons in region
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
About 426,448 Nigerians have fled the country and are currently living as refugees in neighbouring Niger, Cameroon and Chad, underscoring the continuing regional humanitarian consequences of years of conflict and insecurity in parts of Nigeria.
Latest data published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) showed that Niger hosts the largest number of Nigerian refugees, with 278,077 persons, representing 65.2 per cent of the total Nigerian refugee population in the three countries.
In the same vein, Cameroon hosts 126,320 Nigerian refugees, accounting for 29.6 per cent of the total, while Chad accommodates 22,051 Nigerians, representing 5.2 per cent.
The figures showed that more than two-thirds of Nigerians displaced across international borders have found refuge in Niger, highlighting the country’s central role in hosting populations fleeing insecurity in Nigeria.
The data for Niger and Cameroon were updated as of July 31, 2026, while the figures for Chad were based on information available as of June 30, 2026, the data seen by THISDAY showed.
Beyond those who have crossed Nigeria’s borders, the UNHCR data also pointed to the scale of internal displacement affecting Nigeria and neighbouring countries, with a combined 3.26 million internally displaced persons recorded across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Nigeria alone accounted for 2.33 million internally displaced persons, representing 71.5 per cent of the total displaced population covered by the regional situation. Cameroon recorded 510,855 internally displaced persons, while Chad had 219,595 and Niger accounted for 199,542.
The figures illustrated the wider regional impact of the crisis, with displacement affecting populations both within Nigeria and across its international borders.
In all, the data showed that Nigeria remains the epicentre of the humanitarian emergency, accounting for the overwhelming proportion of internally displaced persons, while hundreds of thousands of its citizens have also been forced to seek protection in neighbouring countries.
The concentration of Nigerian refugees in Niger, Cameroon and Chad may also reflect the cross-border nature of the humanitarian crisis, particularly in communities affected by prolonged insecurity in Nigeria’s northern regions.
Niger’s hosting of 278,077 Nigerian refugees means the country accommodates almost two out of every three Nigerians who have sought refuge in the three neighbouring countries, while Cameroon hosts almost one-third of the population.
Together, Niger and Cameroon account for 404,397 Nigerian refugees, or almost 95 per cent of the total Nigerian refugee population recorded in the three countries, leaving Chad with the remaining 22,051, the UN data indicated.
The latest figures come against the backdrop of the forced displacement crisis across West and Central Africa, where the UNHCR has continued to report millions of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons.
According to the UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa, the region had 3.9 million refugees and asylum seekers as of June, 2026, while the number of internally displaced persons stood at more than 14.21 million based on the latest available regional data.
The regional figures demonstrate that Nigeria’s displacement challenge is part of a much wider humanitarian crisis affecting several countries across West and Central Africa, although Nigeria remains one of the countries with the largest internally displaced populations in the region.
The development also places additional pressure on humanitarian organisations and host communities in Niger, Cameroon and Chad, which are themselves dealing with significant populations of displaced persons and other humanitarian challenges.
The UNHCR data is based on information provided by governments and humanitarian agencies, including the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant authorities.