# Up to 40.5 million people in South Asia may be forced to move by 2050 as the climate heats up, IOM says

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/science/up-to-405-million-people-in-south-asia-may-be-forced-to-move-by-2050-as-the)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 17 Oct 2026
Updated: 17 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 17 Oct 2026

> The UN migration agency's head, Amy Pope, said in New Delhi that funding for resilience is inadequate and urged early-warning data and AI forecasting to protect communities before disasters hit.

As many as **40.5 million people in South Asia** may be forced to leave their homes by **2050** in a worst-case scenario as climate change bites, according to the **International Organization for Migration (IOM)**, the UN's migration agency. Its director general, **Amy Pope**, gave the figure on Friday during a visit to New Delhi, AFP reported in [Dawn](https://www.dawn.com/news/2037770/millions-may-be-forced-to-move-as-climate-change-hits-south-asia-un).

## What is driving it

Pope said rising heat is speeding up the move to cities, as people leave rural areas to escape it. She pointed to **Nepal**, where IOM sent aid after a mountain and glacier collapse on **26 August** set off deadly floods. She also said **India's** spending on early-warning systems, disaster response and technology gave grounds for optimism.

## What the IOM wants

- **Better data and AI forecasting** to find the communities most at risk before a disaster, combining weather forecasts with local data on how people earn a living.
- **Better farming methods** and training people for other work.
- **Planned relocation** of communities that are hit by flood or drought again and again, where there is no other choice.
- **More money.** Pope called current funding inadequate: "The cost of a humanitarian disaster is in the billions," she said, while some resilience measures "can be far less."
- **Safe, legal routes for migration abroad**, since demand for workers is growing.

## Why readers in Pakistan should care

The agency did not give a Pakistan figure, but the pattern it describes is familiar here: villages emptied by floods, families leaving drought-hit Thar with their livestock ([our story](/news/pakistan/thar-drought-drives-livestock-exodus-as-families-head-for-sindhs-barrage-areas)), and heat pushing people towards Karachi and Lahore. The legal migration route matters too: **1.8 million Pakistanis** left for jobs abroad in three years ([details](/news/economy/over-18-million-pakistanis-left-for-jobs-abroad-in-three-years-90000-of-them)).

The same day, Action Against Hunger listed Pakistan among the world's ten largest food crises, citing floods, drought and heatwaves among the causes.

## Frequently asked questions

**How many people could climate change displace in South Asia?**

Up to 40.5 million people by 2050 in a worst-case scenario, according to the International Organization for Migration.

## Sources

- Millions may be forced to move as climate change hits South Asia: UN (AFP, 17 Oct 2026) (Dawn): https://www.dawn.com/news/2037770/millions-may-be-forced-to-move-as-climate-change-hits-south-asia-un

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