Data are essential to inform crisis responses for displaced and mobile populations. The Displacement Tracking Matrix is a central tool, providing data on internal displacement across 100 countries which are needed to inform action to save lives and protect people on the move. IOM addresses fragmented data collection with tools such as a central data dictionary, fostering faster, more efficient responses, and works with partners to improve data insights and support for vulnerable populations.
IOM’s data collection systems form the backbone of its operational and analytical work, ensuring that decisions made in humanitarian and migration settings are rooted in robust, timely and people-centred evidence. Through field-driven approaches and strong partnerships, IOM captures displacement and mobility data that underpin life-saving assistance and support policy development across the mobility spectrum. Key initiatives such as the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), the Missing Migrants Project, the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative and the Migrant Protection Platform provide comprehensive insight into movements, risks, vulnerabilities and protection needs along migration routes.
Following more than two decades of global deployment, the DTM remains a trusted and systematic source of information on internal displacement and population mobility, informing preparedness, response and recovery efforts in many countries. Platforms like the Missing Migrants Project and the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative shed light on critical risks such as fatalities, disappearances and human trafficking trends, supporting protection actors and policymakers with unique, open-access evidence. Together, these
initiatives constitute a holistic data collection ecosystem that allows IOM and its partners to anticipate risks, tailor interventions and strengthen support for displaced persons and mobile populations worldwide.