As of July 1, 2025, 15,522 of the more than 100,000 people forcibly displaced from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in September 2023 had not returned to Armenia. Overall, 38,030 had left the country, of whom 22,508 have returned, according to statistics provided by the National Security Service (NSS) to Factor TV.
For comparison, as of July 1, 2024, over 11,000 had not returned, meaning the number of displaced residents who had not returned increased by approximately 4,500 over the year.
Earlier, as of January 16, 2024, around 6,500 Artsakh-registered individuals who had left Armenia had not returned.
Gegham Stepanyan, Artsakh Ombudsman, noted that the number of displaced residents who have not returned has grown in recent months, coinciding with reductions in social support provided to them. “This is a concern we have raised repeatedly in discussions with various officials, emphasizing that such support is critically important for socio-economic integration, particularly to cover living expenses, and that its reduction would lead to further emigration,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Stepanyan also highlighted that as of August 2025, under the state housing support program, around 2,520 families had received certificates, but only 650 families had actually been provided housing. Similarly, under the emergency social assistance program implemented alongside the “40+10” support initiative, 15,100 families applied, and only 2,700 received support, while thousands of applications were rejected or are still under review.
Since November 2023, the government has been giving each refugee who does not own a home or live in a government shelter in Armenia 50,000 drams ($125) per month for rent and utility fees. Starting from June 1, the government stopped paying the aid.
Such aid is now allocated only to children, university or college students, pensioners, and disabled persons forced to flee Artsakh. The monthly allowance paid to them has been cut to 30,000 drams.
A lack of affordable housing remains one of the main problems facing them.
Regarding citizenship, Stepanyan wrote that as of August 2025, approximately 15,000 individuals with temporary protection status had applied for Armenian citizenship, of whom around 10,700 were granted citizenship.
