Global Humanitarian Overview 2023

After 20 years, rising displacement shows no sign of slowing

For two decades, forced displacement has continued to increase worldwide. By mid-2022, the overall number of forcibly displaced people worldwide had risen to an estimated 103 million. This is primarily due to the war in Ukraine and other escalating emergencies. This includes 32.5 million refugees, 53.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 4.9 million asylum-seekers, among others. By mid-September 2022, there were also 7.1 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela.

The last year for which there is full data – 2021 – showed an 8 per cent increase from 2020 and more than double the amount of people who were forcibly displaced 10 years ago. More than 1 per cent of the world’s population are displaced – 41 per cent, or more than 36 million, are children. At the end of 2021, just five countries – Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Syria and Yemen – were home to nearly half of the total 53.2 million IDPs worldwide.

The number of refugees remains at record levels and grew from 27.1 million at the end of 2020 to 32.5 million by mid-2022. Nearly three quarters, or 72 per cent, of refugees come from just five countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria and Ukraine. Low- and middle-income countries continue to shoulder a disproportionate responsibility, hosting 74 per cent of refugees. Over a quarter (27 per cent) of the total were hosted in Least Developed Countries. At the end of 2021, 15.9 million refugees – or 74 per cent of the global refugee population – were estimated to live in a protracted situation.

At the end of 2021, the total number of IDPs had reached a record 59.1 million – with 53.2 million displaced by conflict and violence, and 5.9 million displaced by disaster. More than 10 years of conflict in Syria have caused the displacement of millions of people. At the end of 2021, 6.9 million people were still estimated to be internally displaced; this means that for every three Syrians who remain within the country, one is internally displaced. Ethiopia and Afghanistan also saw substantial increases in the number of IDPs during 2021. Internal displacement in Ethiopia tripled in less than four years, from 1.1 million to more than 3.6 million. In Afghanistan, the total number of IDPs reached an estimated 3.5 million in 2021, continuing an uninterrupted 15-year rising trend; a collapsing economy and severe socioeconomic hardships are thwarting returns and are likely to fuel new waves of displacement. In Yemen, a truce contributed to a 76 per cent reduction of internal displacements between April and September 2022, but safety and security concerns, disasters and economic hardship continued to force people to flee their homes and triggered secondary displacement.

Aid in Action

Ukraine’s escalating displacement crisis

Ukraine
Rzeszow, Poland
Karyna Samokhval arrived in Poland with her two children and her sister-in-law on 21 March. They took a bus to the city of Rzeszow, where they are staying in a shelter above a market. Karyna’s 6-year-old son, Ivan, has a fever, but they need to move from the shelter. The family hope to reach the UK, but they are unsure how long the visa process will take.

Since February 2022, the war in Ukraine has forced millions of people to flee their homes in search of safety and assistance. Since 24 February, more than 12.3 million movements out of Ukraine have been recorded, with more than 5.5 million movements back into the country. As of early September 2022, UNHCR reported that 7.4 million refugees from Ukraine remain displaced, with more than 4 million having registered for temporary protection or similar national protection schemes across Europe. According to IOM, An additional 6.9 million people are estimated to be internally displaced, which is around 16 per cent of the Ukrainian population.

Continued shelling and missile attacks have caused widespread damage. Destruction of homes and infrastructure is likely to hamper returns in the foreseeable future. These large-scale displacements could have lasting consequences for generations to come. Around 70 per cent of IDPs in Ukraine are women. Women and children fleeing war in Ukraine are at heightened risk of human trafficking and exploitation, especially unaccompanied and separated children.

Disasters are responsible for the majority of displacements worldwide in a given year. While most disaster-induced displacements are temporary, 5.9 million people worldwide remained displaced at the end of 2021. Extreme weather events continued through 2022, and while overall figures were not available at the time of writing, disaster-induced displacement showed no signs of abating. Between January and June 2022, drought triggered more than 673,000 displacements in Somalia alone. In Pakistan, 33 million people have been affected by heavy rains and floods, and in Bangladesh the monsoon season triggered the worst floods in 20 years, causing the displacement of 1.1 million people in June 2022 and affecting 7.2 million people in total.

The rapidly deteriorating global food security situation disproportionately impacts people on the move, who are among the most vulnerable to acute food insecurity and malnutrition. In 2021, nearly 45 million IDPs resided in 24 countries and territories experiencing food crises. About two thirds of refugees and asylum-seekers originated from countries with food crises.

Progress towards durable solutions has returned to pre-pandemic (2019) levels but remains out of reach for the vast majority of refugees and IDPs. In 2021, 5.73 million IDPs and 429,300 refugees returned to their areas or countries of origin, while an additional 57,500 refugees were reportedly resettled in 2021, two thirds more than in the previous year (34,400).

Following the 2021 report of the High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, the UN Secretary-General issued an Action Agenda on Internal Displacement in June 2022. It calls for stepped-up collective efforts to address internal displacement, including by advancing durable solutions, preventing new displacement crises, and ensuring that people facing displacement receive effective protection and assistance.

Aid in Action

Venezuelans supporting Venezuelans: the story of a local NGO

Peru

Union Venezolana is a community-based organization operating in Peru and led by Venezuelan refugees and migrants. It provides social and economic integration opportunities and humanitarian assistance for Venezuelans in Peru.

References

  1. UNHCR, Refugee Data Finder,16 June 2022; UNHCR, Mid-Year Trends, accessed 7 November 2022. The total number of people forcibly displaced is calculated using UNHCR, UNRWA and IDMC statistics. IDMC’s statistics on internal displacement are only published annually, therefore the estimate is calculated using IDMC’s end-2021 figure as a base and reflecting only changes in the statistics in the 34 countries in which UNHCR reported internal displacement during the first six months of 2022. The total new displacement is therefore likely to underestimate internal displacement globally.
  2. UNHCR, Mid-Year Trends, accessed 7 November 2022. Figure on refugees includes refugees under UNRWA and UNHCR mandate.
  3. R4V Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela, September 2022.
  4. UNHCR, Global displacement hits another record, capping decade-long rising trend, 16 June 2022; UNHCR, Figures at a glance, 18 October 2022.
  5. IDMC, Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2022, There are 25.8 million conflict-induced IDPs between these five countries.
  6. UNHCR, Mid-Year Trends, September 2022.
  7. Ibid.
  8. UNHCR, Mid-Year Trends, September 2022, with updated calculations provided by UNHCR.
  9. UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2021.
  10. IDMC, Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2022,.
  11. UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2021..
  12. UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2021.
  13. IDMC, One Year On: The Taliban Takeover and Afghanistan’s Changing Displacement Crisis, August 2022.
  14. OCHA, Yemen Humanitarian Update – Issue 9, September 2022; IDMC, The Truce in Yemen: Opportunities and Challenges for IDPs, July 2022.
  15. UNHCR, , 9 September 2022.
  16. UNHCR, Operational Data Portal – Ukraine Refugee Situation, 7 September 2022.
  17. IOM, 23 August 2022, p. 1.
  18. IDMC, Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2022.
  19. IOM, 23 August 2022.
  20. UNODC, Conflict in Ukraine: Key Evidence On Risks Of Trafficking In Persons And Smuggling Of Migrants, Update July 2022.
  21. IDMC, Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2022, p. 16.
  22. OCHA, Revised Pakistan 2022 Floods Response Plan: 01 Sep 2022 - 31 May 2023.
  23. IDMC, 2022 Mid-Year Update, October 2022.
  24. Food Security Information Network(FSIN), Global Report on Food Crises 2022 (GRFC), Syria, Afghanistan, DRC, Yemen, Ethiopia and Sudan determined by numbers of people in Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) or equivalent.
  25. UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2021.
  26. UNHCR, Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2021.
  27. The United Nations Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement Follow-Up to the Report of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, June 2022.