ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Center for Victims of Torture™ (CVT) announces an updated estimate that 27% of the population of refugees, asylees and other forced migrants who are living in the United States are direct survivors of torture.

This number is based on a rapid review of 2016-26 peer-reviewed research literature. The prevalence number cited in the new brief relies primarily on a systematic review of 41 studies covering 12,020 forced migrants living in high-income countries, including the U.S., resulting in a median prevalence of 27%.

In 2025, U.S. government data showed that asylum and other pending protection-related cases numbered more than 3.9 million. When this is added to the number of refugees, asylees and people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) residing in the U.S., data suggest at least 5 million people with protection needs were in the U.S. in 2025. From this, a torture prevalence estimate of 27% indicates that there are likely more than 1.3 million survivors of torture in the United States today.

Dr. Courtney Welton-Mitchell, CVT director of evaluation and research, commented that the peer-reviewed literature on torture prevalence has continued to grow in the last 10 years. CVT’s previous 2015 prevalence number of 44% was based on the data available at that time, which focused on specific subgroups. “The new estimate of 27% increases to 39% if we include broader definitions of people impacted by torture,” she said. “This includes people who witnessed torture as well as people with loved ones who were tortured. From our work with survivors and their family members, we know how important it is to address the wider impacts of torture.”

Dr. Welton-Mitchell emphasized the critical implications of this new number while noting that caution is needed when interpreting this prevalence estimate. “Studies used in these types of reviews typically have a range of definitions and methods for identifying torture survivors,” she said, “and are conducted primarily among selected refugee and clinical populations rather than nationally representative samples. Furthermore, there is no single, consolidated estimate of all protection-status populations in the United States.”

The nature of torture, and the secrecy that surrounds it, make it a particularly complex subject for study. “Because of underreporting, systemic denial by states, and the hidden nature of the crime, the true prevalence of torture is likely to be higher than official reports,” said Welton-Mitchell. “Importantly, estimates derived from high-income countries do not reflect the prevalence of torture globally. Torture exposure is often disproportionally concentrated in conflict-affected and politically repressive settings.”

Dr. Welton-Mitchell hopes this updated information will be useful for advocacy and planning purposes for those providing funding and services for torture survivors in the U.S. “A substantial number of the more than 1.3 million torture survivors in the U.S. are likely in need of specialized rehabilitation and support services of the type CVT provides,” she said.

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The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit organization with offices in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Uganda, United States and additional project sites around the world. Visit www.cvt.org