The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has announced Wednesday that the number of people displaced by war, persecution, violence and human rights violations globally is estimated at more than 114 million at the end of September. According to a new UNHCR report, the main drivers of forced displacement in the first half of 2023 were: war in Ukraine and conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar; a combination of drought, floods and insecurity in Somalia; and a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The figure does not include people displaced by the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, part of the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT). Over 1.4 million people – nearly two thirds of the total population of Gaza - have been displaced since early October due to indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks by the Israeli military. Following atrocities committed by Palestinian armed groups on October 7, the Israeli cabinet declared a state of war and the military begun launching heavy bombardments, from the air, sea and land in the Gaza Strip.
“The world’s focus now is – rightly – on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. But globally, far too many conflicts are proliferating or escalating, shattering innocent lives and uprooting people,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.
“The international community’s inability to solve conflicts or prevent new ones is driving displacement and misery. We must look within, work together to end conflicts and allow refugees and other displaced people to return home or restart their lives.”
By the end of 2022, a record 108.4 million people had been forcibly displaced worldwide. By the end of June, the figure rose to 110 million people. In the three months from June to the end of September, UNHCR estimates that the number of forcibly displaced grew by 4 million, bringing the total to 114 million. These numbers include refugees as well as internally displaced people (IDPs). Over half of all people who are forced to flee never cross an international border.
“As we watch events unfold in Gaza, Sudan and beyond, the prospect of peace and solutions for refugees and other displaced populations might feel distant,” Grandi said. “But we cannot give up. With our partners we will keep pushing for – and finding – solutions for refugees.”
According to UNHCR’s Mid-Year Trends Report, which analyses forced displacement during the first six months of this year, there were 36.4 million refugees worldwide. Within the last seven years, the global refugee population has doubled. UNHCR estimates that as of mid-2023, 62.2 million people remained internally displaced within their own country due to conflict or violence.
As of mid-2023, low- and middle-income countries hosted 75 percent of refugees and other people in need of international protection. Globally, 1.6 million new individual asylum applications were made in the first six months, the largest number ever recorded.
Most forcibly displaced people remain within their countries: IDPs account for 57 percent of the global forcibly displaced population. An estimated 6.8 million new internal displacements occurred in the first six months of 2023, 83 percent of which occurred in sub-Sahara Africa.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, 69 percent of refugees and other people in need of international protection lived in countries neighboring their countries of origin. At the end of June, Turkey and Iran remained the largest refugee-hosting countries in the world, with each hosting 3.4 million refugees, over 10 percent of all refugees worldwide.
Germany was third as host for 2.5 million refugees, followed by Colombia with slightly less than 2.5 million. Among the top 5 hosting countries also ranks Pakistan, with 2.1 million seeking refuge there. Relative to their national populations, the island of Aruba (1 in 6) and Lebanon (1 in 7) hosted the largest number of refugees.
The Mid-Year Trends Report highlights some 404,000 refugee returns were recorded, more than double the same period in 2022, though many were not in safe conditions. Almost 2.7 million internally displaced people (IDPs) returned home during the same period, more than double the returns during the first half of 2022. The number of refugees resettled increased.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is a United Nations agency mandated to assist and protect refugees, displaced persons and stateless people. The organization is known by its short name, UN Refugee Agency. UNHCR was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 14, 1950, to provide assistance to refugees from World War II. On January 1, 1951, the UNHCR began its work. Each year, the UN Refugee Agency helps millions of refugees and displaced persons worldwide. UNHCR is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has offices in 134 countries.
Further information
Full text: UNHCR: Forced displacement continues to grow as conflicts escalate, UNHCR press release, published October 25, 2023
https://www.unhcr.org/news/unhcr-forced-displacement-continues-grow-conflicts-escalate
Full text: Mid-Year Trends 2023, UNHCR report, released October 25, 2023
https://www.unhcr.org/mid-year-trends-report-2023