Address internal displacement through coordinated response
Bangladesh's escalating internal displacement crisis can no longer be treated as a series of isolated shocks. The first comprehensive nationwide estimate by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveals that nearly 50 lakh people are currently living as internally displaced persons (IDPs) due to natural disasters. The scale alone is staggering. Chattogram Division hosts 12 lakh IDPs, followed by Dhaka with 7.9 lakh and Rajshahi with 6.6 lakh. Four districts—Chattogram, Sirajganj, Bhola, and Noakhali—account for a quarter of all displaced people. Most of them, around 85 percent, remain in rural union areas, struggling with prolonged uncertainty as floods, cyclones, and river erosion continue to uproot lives.
The findings also reveal that two in three IDPs were displaced before April 2020, signalling years of unresolved displacement that have effectively turned temporary crises into chronic living conditions. The updated estimate—based on thousands of field visits and over 29,000 interviews—provides a clearer picture of a long-neglected issue. It also validates what communities, particularly those in coastal and riverbank regions, have been warning for years: that recurrent disasters are outpacing both local coping capacities and state mechanisms meant to support them. The persistence of long-term displacement indicates policy gaps in relocation planning, social protection support, and climate adaptation initiatives.
What is evident is that Bangladesh cannot rely on piecemeal interventions. River erosion alone continues to erase entire villages, while cyclones and seasonal flooding push families into repeated cycles of loss. Without comprehensive planning, displaced communities face unstable shelter, shrinking livelihoods, and limited access to services. Government representatives have acknowledged the significance of the new estimate and its role in improving the implementation of the National Strategy on Internal Displacement Management. But acknowledgement must now translate into coordinated action—not only between ministries responsible for disaster management, land, and social protection, but also across local government bodies charged with tracking and supporting displaced populations.
The government must accelerate the integration of IDP data into national planning systems and ensure that relocation initiatives are safe, humane, and sustainable. Stronger social protection schemes, climate-resilient housing programmes, and long-term livelihood support are essential if displacement is to be managed rather than merely recorded. Development partners must also align their efforts with national frameworks to avoid duplication and ensure resources reach the most vulnerable. With nearly 50 lakh people already displaced, and many more at risk as climate impacts intensify, Bangladesh needs decisive, well-coordinated action to protect communities whose lives have been reshaped by disaster.
