Suffering Measures Guide

What the numbers mean

A guide to common measures of hunger, displacement, nutrition, and other severe harms.

WSI turns fragmented public data about severe human harms into clear visual explanations, showing what the numbers measure, how they differ, and what they can - and cannot - tell us.

The Guide explains how official and source-derived measures are defined and related. It does not make unlike figures additive or comparable. Registry version WSI-SMR-v1.0.0 | Last updated 20 August 2026.

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Showing 20 of 20 measures

Hunger and food securitypeoplemodeled estimate

Prevalence of undernourishment

Who is likely to have chronically insufficient dietary energy?

What it countsPeople or population share

Unitpeople or percent

PopulationWhole population

Geographic universeGlobal and country estimates

Time basisAnnual model estimate / multi-year statistical framework

Official sourceSOFI / FAO

What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as the same as FIES food insecurity or acute food-crisis classifications.

Comparison limit: Not interchangeable with FIES, GRFC/IPC/CH, or child-wasting estimates.

Adding rule: Do not add to the other hunger headline populations.

Related measures

overlaps with: Moderate or severe FIES. The populations may overlap, but the measures use different constructs and the source package does not quantify overlap.

not directly comparable to: Moderate or severe FIES. Modeled chronic dietary-energy inadequacy versus experience-based food-access difficulty.

not directly comparable to: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Global modeled chronic-hunger estimate versus acute classification in selected crisis settings.

not directly comparable to: Wasting. Child anthropometric outcome versus whole-population dietary-energy estimate.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-POU

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-SOFI-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Modeled prevalence and number

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleperiod prevalence

Moderate or severe food insecurity measured by FIES

Who reports difficulty accessing adequate food?

What it countsPeople or population share

Unitpeople or percent

PopulationPeople age 15+ surveyed, calibrated to population estimates

Geographic universeGlobal and country estimates

Time basisPast 12 months / official reporting period

Official sourceSOFI / FAOSTAT FIES

What to watch

Common confusion: Often equated with chronic undernourishment or crisis-level acute food insecurity.

Comparison limit: Broader experiential measure; not a count of chronically undernourished people.

Adding rule: Do not add to PoU, GRFC/IPC/CH, or wasting totals.

Related measures

includes subset: Severe FIES. Severe FIES is included within moderate-or-severe FIES.

overlaps with: Undernourishment (PoU). The populations may overlap, but the measures use different constructs and the source package does not quantify overlap.

overlaps with: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. People may appear in both systems, but the measures have different universes, periods, and classification methods.

not directly comparable to: Undernourishment (PoU). Modeled chronic dietary-energy inadequacy versus experience-based food-access difficulty.

not directly comparable to: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Experience-based prevalence versus acute severity classification in analysed crisis settings.

not directly comparable to: Wasting. Child physical outcome versus experience-based food access.

not additive to: Severe FIES. Severe FIES is already included within moderate-or-severe FIES.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-FIES-MODSEV

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-SOFI-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Experience-based prevalence and number

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleperiod prevalence

Severe food insecurity measured by FIES

Who experiences the most severe range of reported food-access difficulty?

What it countsPeople or population share

Unitpeople or percent

PopulationPeople age 15+ surveyed, calibrated to population estimates

Geographic universeCountry and territory records in the validated FIES profile

Time basisPast 12 months / official reporting period

Official sourceFAOSTAT FIES

What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes added to moderate-or-severe FIES even though it is already included.

Comparison limit: A subset of moderate-or-severe FIES; the Step 11B chart summarizes 125 records in prevalence bands.

Adding rule: Do not add to moderate-or-severe FIES.

Related measures

subset of: Moderate or severe FIES. Severe FIES is included within moderate-or-severe FIES.

not additive to: Moderate or severe FIES. Severe FIES is already included within moderate-or-severe FIES.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-FIES-SEVERE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Validated 125-record FIES evidence profile

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-WSI-FIES-2023-2025-V1.1

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Experience-based prevalence and number

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleclassification-period population

High acute food insecurity at Crisis or worse

Who in analysed crisis settings needs urgent action?

What it countsPeople in covered crisis areas

Unitpeople

PopulationPeople in covered crisis areas

Geographic universeSelected crisis countries and areas

Time basisCurrent or projected acute analysis period

Official sourceGRFC / IPC / Cadre Harmonisé

What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as a global prevalence estimate comparable to FIES or PoU.

Comparison limit: The GRFC 2026 headline covers 47 analysed countries and territories, not the global population.

Adding rule: Do not add to global FIES, PoU, or child-wasting populations.

Related measures

overlaps with: Moderate or severe FIES. People may appear in both systems, but the measures have different universes, periods, and classification methods.

overlaps with: Wasting. The populations may overlap, but the source package does not estimate the overlap and the measures count different outcomes.

not directly comparable to: Undernourishment (PoU). Global modeled chronic-hunger estimate versus acute classification in selected crisis settings.

not directly comparable to: Moderate or severe FIES. Experience-based prevalence versus acute severity classification in analysed crisis settings.

not directly comparable to: Wasting. Child nutrition outcome versus acute food-insecurity classification.

same concept, different universe: Phase 3 - Crisis. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.

same concept, different universe: Phase 4 - Emergency. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.

same concept, different universe: Phase 5 - Catastrophe/Famine. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-GRFC-IPC3PLUS

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Food Crises 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-GRFC-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Severity-classified acute population

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleclassification-period population

Cadre Harmonisé Phase 3 - Crisis

How many people are in Crisis, excluding those already counted in more severe phases?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationAnalysed population in the validated 14-country set

Geographic universeFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countries

Time basisJune-August 2026 displayed period

Official sourceCadre Harmonisé source evidence

What to watch

Common confusion: The cumulative Phase 3+ control includes Phase 4 and Phase 5 populations.

Comparison limit: Specific to the validated 14-country June-August 2026 set.

Adding rule: May be added to the mutually exclusive Phase 4 and Phase 5 values from the same set and period only.

Related measures

mutually exclusive with: Phase 4 - Emergency. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.

mutually exclusive with: Phase 5 - Catastrophe/Famine. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.

same concept, different universe: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Both use acute food-insecurity phase concepts, but the registered observation is from a narrower 14-country 2026 set while the GRFC headline covers 47 settings in 2025.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-CH-PHASE3

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Validated 14-country Cadre Harmonisé phase composition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-WSI-CH-2026-V1.1

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: WSI-derived mutually exclusive phase population

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleclassification-period population

Cadre Harmonisé Phase 4 - Emergency

How many people are in Emergency, excluding Phase 5?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationAnalysed population in the validated 14-country set

Geographic universeFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countries

Time basisJune-August 2026 displayed period

Official sourceCadre Harmonisé source evidence

What to watch

Common confusion: The cumulative Phase 4+ control already includes Phase 5.

Comparison limit: Specific to the validated 14-country June-August 2026 set.

Adding rule: May be added to the mutually exclusive Phase 3 and Phase 5 values from the same set and period only.

Related measures

mutually exclusive with: Phase 3 - Crisis. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.

mutually exclusive with: Phase 5 - Catastrophe/Famine. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-CH-PHASE4

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Validated 14-country Cadre Harmonisé phase composition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-WSI-CH-2026-V1.1

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: WSI-derived mutually exclusive phase population

Status: active

Link to this measure

Hunger and food securitypeopleclassification-period population

Cadre Harmonisé Phase 5 - Catastrophe/Famine

How many people are classified in Catastrophe/Famine?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationAnalysed population in the validated 14-country set

Geographic universeFourteen Cadre Harmonisé countries

Time basisJune-August 2026 displayed period

Official sourceCadre Harmonisé source evidence

What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes treated as an additional count on top of cumulative Phase 4+ or Phase 3+ values.

Comparison limit: Specific to the validated 14-country June-August 2026 set.

Adding rule: May be added only to mutually exclusive Phase 3 and Phase 4 values from the same set and period.

Related measures

mutually exclusive with: Phase 3 - Crisis. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.

mutually exclusive with: Phase 4 - Emergency. The Step 11B chart derives mutually exclusive phase populations for the same set and period.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-CH-PHASE5

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Validated 14-country Cadre Harmonisé phase composition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-WSI-CH-2026-V1.1

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported phase population

Status: active

Link to this measure

Child nutritionchildrenprevalence estimate

Child wasting

Which children have a serious physical nutrition outcome?

What it countsChildren under age five or prevalence

Unitchildren or percent

PopulationChildren under age five

Geographic universeGlobal and regional estimates

Time basisSurvey/model reference year

Official sourceUNICEF/WHO/World Bank JME

What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as another count of food-insecure or hungry people.

Comparison limit: A child nutrition outcome, not a food-access or acute-crisis population measure.

Adding rule: Do not add to PoU, FIES, or GRFC/IPC/CH populations.

Related measures

includes subset: Severe wasting. Severe wasting is included within total wasting.

overlaps with: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. The populations may overlap, but the source package does not estimate the overlap and the measures count different outcomes.

not directly comparable to: Undernourishment (PoU). Child anthropometric outcome versus whole-population dietary-energy estimate.

not directly comparable to: Moderate or severe FIES. Child physical outcome versus experience-based food access.

not directly comparable to: IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse. Child nutrition outcome versus acute food-insecurity classification.

not additive to: Severe wasting. Severe wasting is already included within total wasting.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JME-WASTING

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates 2025 edition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-JME-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Prevalence and number of children

Status: active

Link to this measure

Child nutritionchildrenprevalence estimate

Severe child wasting

How many children are in the severe wasting subset?

What it countsChildren under age five or prevalence

Unitchildren or percent

PopulationChildren under age five

Geographic universeGlobal and regional estimates

Time basisSurvey/model reference year

Official sourceUNICEF/WHO/World Bank JME

What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes added to total wasting even though severe wasting is already included.

Comparison limit: A subset of total wasting.

Adding rule: Do not add to total wasting.

Related measures

subset of: Wasting. Severe wasting is included within total wasting.

not additive to: Wasting. Severe wasting is already included within total wasting.

Related WSI content: Hunger is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-JME-SEVERE-WASTING

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates 2025 edition

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-JME-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Prevalence and number of children

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

Refugees globally - broad UNHCR headline

How many people are included in UNHCR’s broad global refugee headline?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationThree published refugee/protection groupings

Geographic universeWorld

Time basisEnd-year stock

Official sourceUNHCR Global Trends

What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as identical to refugees under UNHCR mandate or combined again with the refugee-like subset.

Comparison limit: The 41.6 million headline is a rounded grouping of three components.

Adding rule: Do not add the refugee-like subset again.

Related measures

includes component: UNHCR-mandate refugees. Refugees under UNHCR mandate are one component of the broad headline.

includes component: Other people needing protection. Other people in need of international protection are one component of the broad headline.

includes component: Palestine refugees under UNRWA. Palestine refugees under UNRWA mandate are one component of the broad headline.

derived from: UNHCR-mandate refugees. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.

derived from: Other people needing protection. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.

derived from: Palestine refugees under UNRWA. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.

not directly comparable to: All-cause IDP stock. Cross-border refugee categories versus people displaced within their country.

not directly comparable to: All internal displacement movements. Year-end refugee stock versus annual internal displacement movements.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-REFUGEES-GLOBAL

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Published rounded stock headline

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

Refugees under UNHCR mandate

How many refugees are reported under UNHCR’s mandate?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationRefugees under UNHCR mandate

Geographic universeWorld

Time basisEnd-year stock

Official sourceUNHCR Global Trends

What to watch

Common confusion: Often used as if it were the same as the broader 41.6 million refugee headline.

Comparison limit: Includes people in refugee-like situations.

Adding rule: May be combined with the other two published components only when reproducing the broad headline; do not add refugee-like situations separately.

Related measures

includes subset: Refugee-like situations. UNHCR states that refugee-like situations are included within refugees under its mandate.

component of: Refugees globally. Refugees under UNHCR mandate are one component of the broad headline.

used to derive: Refugees globally. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.

not additive to: Refugee-like situations. Refugee-like situations are already included within the UNHCR-mandate refugee total.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-REFUGEES-UNHCR

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

People in refugee-like situations

How many people are reported in refugee-like situations?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationPeople in refugee-like situations

Geographic universeWorld

Time basisEnd-year stock

Official sourceUNHCR figures and methodology

What to watch

Common confusion: Frequently added to refugees under UNHCR mandate even though it is already included.

Comparison limit: Subset of refugees under UNHCR mandate.

Adding rule: Do not add to refugees under UNHCR mandate or the broad refugee headline.

Related measures

subset of: UNHCR-mandate refugees. UNHCR states that refugee-like situations are included within refugees under its mandate.

not additive to: UNHCR-mandate refugees. Refugee-like situations are already included within the UNHCR-mandate refugee total.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-REFUGEE-LIKE

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock subset

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

Other people in need of international protection

How many people are reported in this separate international-protection category?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationOther people in need of international protection

Geographic universeWorld

Time basisEnd-year stock

Official sourceUNHCR Global Trends

What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes omitted when readers reconstruct the broad refugee headline.

Comparison limit: A separate component of the broad 41.6 million headline.

Adding rule: Can be combined with the two other published components only for the broad refugee headline.

Related measures

component of: Refugees globally. Other people in need of international protection are one component of the broad headline.

used to derive: Refugees globally. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-OIP

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Refugees and protectionpeopleyear-end stock

Palestine refugees under UNRWA mandate

How many Palestine refugees are reported under UNRWA mandate in the broad headline?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationPalestine refugees under UNRWA mandate

Geographic universeWorld

Time basisEnd-year stock

Official sourceUNHCR Global Trends / UNRWA mandate category

What to watch

Common confusion: Sometimes omitted or treated as if it were already within the UNHCR-mandate refugee component.

Comparison limit: Reported separately under UNRWA mandate and used as one component of the broad headline.

Adding rule: Can be combined with the other two components only for the broad refugee headline.

Related measures

component of: Refugees globally. Palestine refugees under UNRWA mandate are one component of the broad headline.

used to derive: Refugees globally. The published rounded broad headline is consistent with these three source components.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-PALESTINE-REFUGEES-UNRWA

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Trends 2025

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-UNHCR-GLOBAL-TRENDS-2025

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementpeopleyear-end stock

People living in internal displacement - all causes

How many people were still living in internal displacement at year-end?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationInternally displaced people

Geographic universeIDMC global estimate

Time basisEnd-year stock

Official sourceIDMC GRID

What to watch

Common confusion: Often compared directly with annual internal displacement movements.

Comparison limit: A people stock at one point in time, not the number of displacement events during the year.

Adding rule: Conflict and disaster stock components can be combined within the same year and source universe.

Related measures

derived from: Conflict IDP stock. All-cause IDP stock is composed of conflict/violence and disaster stock values.

derived from: Disaster IDP stock. All-cause IDP stock is composed of conflict/violence and disaster stock values.

stock versus flow: All internal displacement movements. The all causes stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.

people versus movements: All internal displacement movements. The all causes stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.

not directly comparable to: Refugees globally. Cross-border refugee categories versus people displaced within their country.

not directly comparable to: All internal displacement movements. People at year-end versus movement events during the year.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-STOCK-ALL

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementpeopleyear-end stock

People living in internal displacement due to conflict and violence

How many people remained internally displaced by conflict and violence at year-end?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationConflict- and violence-related IDPs

Geographic universeIDMC global estimate

Time basisEnd-year stock

Official sourceIDMC GRID

What to watch

Common confusion: Often compared directly with conflict-related displacement movements during the year.

Comparison limit: Counts people remaining displaced, not repeated movements.

Adding rule: Can be combined with the disaster IDP stock from the same year and source universe.

Related measures

used to derive: All-cause IDP stock. All-cause IDP stock is composed of conflict/violence and disaster stock values.

stock versus flow: Conflict displacement movements. The conflict and violence stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.

people versus movements: Conflict displacement movements. The conflict and violence stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-STOCK-CONFLICT

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementpeopleyear-end stock

People living in internal displacement due to disasters

How many people remained internally displaced by disasters at year-end?

What it countsPeople

Unitpeople

PopulationDisaster-related IDPs

Geographic universeIDMC global estimate

Time basisEnd-year stock

Official sourceIDMC GRID

What to watch

Common confusion: Often compared directly with disaster displacement movements during the year.

Comparison limit: Counts people remaining displaced, not temporary evacuations or repeated movements as events.

Adding rule: Can be combined with the conflict IDP stock from the same year and source universe.

Related measures

used to derive: All-cause IDP stock. All-cause IDP stock is composed of conflict/violence and disaster stock values.

stock versus flow: Disaster displacement movements. The disasters stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.

people versus movements: Disaster displacement movements. The disasters stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-STOCK-DISASTER

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported stock

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementeventsannual flow

Internal displacement movements - all causes

How many internal displacement movements occurred during the year?

What it countsMovements

Unitmovements

PopulationInternal displacement movements

Geographic universeIDMC recorded countries and territories

Time basisAnnual flow

Official sourceIDMC GRID

What to watch

Common confusion: Often interpreted as unique people or compared directly with the year-end IDP stock.

Comparison limit: A person may be counted more than once; some disaster movements may be temporary or pre-emptive.

Adding rule: Conflict and disaster movements can be combined within the same year and source universe; do not add to the year-end stock.

Related measures

derived from: Conflict displacement movements. All internal displacement movements combine conflict/violence and disaster movement flows.

derived from: Disaster displacement movements. All internal displacement movements combine conflict/violence and disaster movement flows.

stock versus flow: All-cause IDP stock. The all causes stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.

people versus movements: All-cause IDP stock. The all causes stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.

not directly comparable to: Refugees globally. Year-end refugee stock versus annual internal displacement movements.

not directly comparable to: All-cause IDP stock. People at year-end versus movement events during the year.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-MOVEMENTS-ALL

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported movement flow

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementeventsannual flow

Internal displacement movements linked to conflict and violence

How many conflict-related internal displacement movements occurred during the year?

What it countsMovements

Unitmovements

PopulationConflict- and violence-related movements

Geographic universeIDMC recorded countries and territories

Time basisAnnual flow

Official sourceIDMC GRID

What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as unique people or as the number still displaced at year-end.

Comparison limit: One person can be counted more than once.

Adding rule: Can be combined with disaster movements from the same year and source universe; do not add to conflict IDP stock.

Related measures

used to derive: All internal displacement movements. All internal displacement movements combine conflict/violence and disaster movement flows.

stock versus flow: Conflict IDP stock. The conflict and violence stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.

people versus movements: Conflict IDP stock. The conflict and violence stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-MOVEMENTS-CONFLICT

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported movement flow

Status: active

Link to this measure

Internal displacementeventsannual flow

Internal displacement movements linked to disasters

How many disaster-related internal displacement movements occurred during the year?

What it countsMovements

Unitmovements

PopulationDisaster-related movements

Geographic universeIDMC recorded countries and territories

Time basisAnnual flow

Official sourceIDMC GRID

What to watch

Common confusion: Often treated as unique people or as the number still displaced at year-end.

Comparison limit: One person can be counted more than once; some movements may be temporary or pre-emptive.

Adding rule: Can be combined with conflict movements from the same year and source universe; do not add to disaster IDP stock.

Related measures

used to derive: All internal displacement movements. All internal displacement movements combine conflict/violence and disaster movement flows.

stock versus flow: Disaster IDP stock. The disasters stock counts people at year-end; the flow counts movements during the year.

people versus movements: Disaster IDP stock. The disasters stock counts people; the flow counts displacement events and may count one person more than once.

Related WSI content: Displacement is not one number

Technical details

Stable measure ID: WSI-MEASURE-IDP-MOVEMENTS-DISASTER

Registry version: WSI-SMR-v1.0.0

Source release: Global Report on Internal Displacement 2026

Source release ID: WSI-SOURCE-IDMC-GRID-2026

Indicator code: Not recorded in the current source package

Output type: Source-reported movement flow

Status: active

Link to this measure

Relationships

How the measures connect

Appearing together in the Guide does not make measures additive. These labels record the specific relationships supported by the registry.

subset ofOne measure is already included inside another.

component ofOne measure is one component of a larger same-source total.

overlaps withSome of the same people may appear in both measures.

people versus movementsOne measure counts people; the other counts movement events.

stock versus flowOne measure is a point-in-time stock; the other is an annual flow.

derived fromA measure is calculated from one or more source controls.

mutually exclusive withThe categories are designed not to overlap.

not additive toThe measures must not be summed.

not directly comparable toThe measures answer different questions or use different universes.

same concept, different universeThe concept is similar, but the covered population or geography differs.

Quick comparison

Major hunger and displacement measures

The matrix summarizes 15 commonly confused measures. Scroll horizontally on a small screen.

Measure	Counts	People or events	Stock or flow	Time basis	Universe	Can it be added?	Key distinction
Undernourishment (PoU)	People or population share	people	modeled estimate	Annual model estimate / multi-year statistical framework	Global and country estimates	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	Not interchangeable with FIES, GRFC/IPC/CH, or child-wasting estimates.
Moderate or severe FIES	People or population share	people	period prevalence	Past 12 months / official reporting period	Global and country estimates	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	Broader experiential measure; not a count of chronically undernourished people.
Severe FIES	People or population share	people	period prevalence	Past 12 months / official reporting period	Country and territory records in the validated FIES profile	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	A subset of moderate-or-severe FIES; the Step 11B chart summarizes 125 records in prevalence bands.
IPC/CH Phase 3 or worse	People in covered crisis areas	people	classification-period population	Current or projected acute analysis period	Selected crisis countries and areas	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	The GRFC 2026 headline covers 47 analysed countries and territories, not the global population.
Wasting	Children under age five or prevalence	children	prevalence estimate	Survey/model reference year	Global and regional estimates	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	A child nutrition outcome, not a food-access or acute-crisis population measure.
Severe wasting	Children under age five or prevalence	children	prevalence estimate	Survey/model reference year	Global and regional estimates	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	A subset of total wasting.
Refugees globally	People	people	year-end stock	End-year stock	World	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	The 41.6 million headline is a rounded grouping of three components.
UNHCR-mandate refugees	People	people	year-end stock	End-year stock	World	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	Includes people in refugee-like situations.
Refugee-like situations	People	people	year-end stock	End-year stock	World	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	Subset of refugees under UNHCR mandate.
All-cause IDP stock	People	people	year-end stock	End-year stock	IDMC global estimate	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	A people stock at one point in time, not the number of displacement events during the year.
Conflict IDP stock	People	people	year-end stock	End-year stock	IDMC global estimate	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	Counts people remaining displaced, not repeated movements.
Disaster IDP stock	People	people	year-end stock	End-year stock	IDMC global estimate	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	Counts people remaining displaced, not temporary evacuations or repeated movements as events.
All internal displacement movements	Movements	events	annual flow	Annual flow	IDMC recorded countries and territories	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	A person may be counted more than once; some disaster movements may be temporary or pre-emptive.
Conflict displacement movements	Movements	events	annual flow	Annual flow	IDMC recorded countries and territories	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	One person can be counted more than once.
Disaster displacement movements	Movements	events	annual flow	Annual flow	IDMC recorded countries and territories	No, except where the profile states a same-source component rule	One person can be counted more than once; some movements may be temporary or pre-emptive.

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Registry files and schemas

These are WSI-organized metadata and source-derived observations. They do not replace official source data, and the original source terms and limitations continue to apply.