People displaced internally by natural disasters in United States

United States: People displaced internally by natural disasters was 202,000 number of cases in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
202,000 number of cases
Change on year
down 70.1%
World rank
20th
of 146 countries
All-time high
2.02 million number of cases
in 2008
All-time low
1,300 number of cases
in 2009
Years of data
15
2008–2023

People displaced internally by natural disasters in United States, 2008–2023

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2008201520232008: 2.0M number of cases2009: 1.3k number of cases2011: 52.0k number of cases2012: 901.0k number of cases2013: 188.0k number of cases2014: 34.0k number of cases2015: 63.0k number of cases2016: 1.1M number of cases2017: 1.6M number of cases2018: 1.2M number of cases2019: 916.0k number of cases2020: 1.7M number of cases2021: 573.0k number of cases2022: 675.0k number of cases2023: 202.0k number of cases

Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in number of cases.

Analysis

United States recorded 202,000 number of cases for people displaced internally by natural disasters in 2023.

The figure is down 70.1% on the previous year and up 7.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people displaced internally by natural disasters in United States peaked at 2.02 million number of cases in 2008 and was at its lowest, 1,300 number of cases, in 2009.

That places United States 20th out of 146 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.01 million number of cases 1,300 number of cases 2.02 million number of cases 2
2010s 678,778 number of cases 34,000 number of cases 1.58 million number of cases 9
2020s 791,250 number of cases 202,000 number of cases 1.72 million number of cases 4

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 17 Yemen 240,000 number of cases compare
  2. 18 Indonesia 238,000 number of cases compare
  3. 19 Malaysia 206,000 number of cases compare
  4. 21 Mexico 196,000 number of cases compare
  5. 22 Canada 192,000 number of cases compare
  6. 23 Peru 188,000 number of cases compare

See the full ranking of 146 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is people displaced internally by natural disasters in United States?
People displaced internally by natural disasters in United States was 202,000 number of cases in 2023, according to Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest people displaced internally by natural disasters recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 2.02 million number of cases in 2008.
What is the lowest people displaced internally by natural disasters recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 1,300 number of cases in 2009.
How does United States rank for people displaced internally by natural disasters?
United States ranks 20th out of 146 countries with data for 2023.
Is people displaced internally by natural disasters rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People displaced internally by natural disasters. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
People displaced internally by natural disasters
Unit
number of cases
Source
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
146 places, 1,631 data points, 2008–2023
Last refreshed

Internally-displaced persons are defined as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, as a result of natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border.