Forced displacement on the rise, says new UN report
December 3, 2023 (GENEVA) – Over 114 million people are likely to be forcibly displaced by war, persecution, violence, and human rights globally by the end of this year, a new report from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) shows.
At the end of June 2023, the Mid-Year Trends 2023 report says, 110 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes due to persecution, conflict, violence and human rights violations.
“This represents an increase of more than 1.6 million people, or one per cent, compared to the end of 2022, when forced displacement stood at 108.5 million people,” it noted.
But the numbers do not include the thousands currently being displaced in Gaza.
More than 1 in 73 people worldwide are now forcibly displaced as a result, with the majority – almost 90 per cent – living in low-and middle-income countries, the report said.
In the first six months of the year, seven major displacement situations accounted for an estimated 90 per cent of new displacement globally. These include ongoing and new conflicts and humanitarian situations in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latin America and Caribbean countries, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Ukraine.
Based on UNHCR estimates, the number of people forced to flee has likely grown during the following three months, and at the end of September 2023, it is expected to have exceeded 114 million people.
The global refugee population reached 36.4 million at mid-2023, an increase of 4% or 1.1 million, from the end of 2022, driven by increasing numbers of refugees from Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria and Ukraine.
Included in the number were 5.3 million other people in need of international protection, bringing the total number of refugees and people in refugee-like situations to 35.8 million.
As of mid-2023, the top five countries of origin for refugees and individuals in need of international protection are Syria (6.5 million), followed by Afghanistan (6.1 million), Ukraine (6 million), Venezuela (5.6 million) and South Sudan (2.2 million).
An estimated 6.8 million new internal displacements reportedly occurred during the first six months of 2023, mostly in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Ukraine and Myanmar.
The report also includes two snapshots of refugee situations in Sudan and Ukraine.
“In April 2023, war broke out between the Sudanese Army Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the capital city Khartoum before quickly spreading to other parts of the country,” observed the report.
It added, “By the end of June 2023, more than 3 million people had been displaced within the country by the conflict. In addition, almost a quarter of a million Sudanese, along with over 163,000 people of other nationalities – mostly refugees previously living in Sudan – fled to neighbouring countries, primarily Chad and South Sudan.
Without a resolution to the crisis, however, UNHCR and its partners estimate that the number of refugees and returnees forced to flee could reach 1.8 million by end of 2023.
(ST)