The United Nations reported that a staggering 120 million people are currently forcibly displaced due to war, violence, and persecution, marking a grim milestone and a “terrible indictment on the state of the world.”
The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) highlighted that global forced displacement has reached unprecedented levels, with conflicts in regions such as Gaza, Sudan, and Myanmar contributing significantly to this surge. The current displaced population is now comparable to Japan’s total population, according to a UNHCR statement.
“Conflict remains a very, very big driver of mass displacement,” said UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi to reporters on Thursday.
By the end of last year, the number of displaced individuals stood at 117.3 million. This figure increased to an estimated 120 million by the end of April, a rise from 110 million the previous year. Forced displacement has been on an upward trajectory for 12 consecutive years, nearly tripling since 2012 due to new and ongoing crises, as well as the failure to resolve long-standing conflicts, according to UNHCR.
Grandi expressed his shock at the high displacement figure when he assumed his role eight years ago, noting that it has since more than doubled. He described this trend as “a terrible indictment on the state of the world.”
Grandi pointed out an increase in the number of crises and emphasized the impact of climate change on population movements and conflict. Last year, UNHCR declared 43 emergencies across 29 countries, more than four times the number seen in recent years.
Grandi also highlighted the “complete disregard” for international law in the conduct of conflicts, often with the aim of terrorizing people, which significantly contributes to displacement.
Grandi acknowledged that the trend shows no signs of reversing. “Unless there is a shift in international geopolitics, unfortunately, I actually see the figure continuing to go up,” he said.
Of the 117.3 million displaced at the end of 2023, 68.3 million were internally displaced within their own countries. The number of refugees and others in need of international protection reached 43.4 million.
UNHCR countered the misconception that most refugees and migrants head to wealthy countries. “The vast majority of refugees are hosted in countries neighboring their own, with 75 percent residing in low- and middle-income countries that together produce less than 20 percent of the world’s income,” it stated.
Sudan’s civil war has significantly contributed to the rising numbers, displacing over nine million people since the conflict began in April 2023. Nearly 11 million Sudanese were uprooted by the end of 2023, with the numbers continuing to rise. Many Sudanese have fled to Chad, which has received around 600,000 Sudanese refugees in the past 14 months.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar, millions more were internally displaced last year due to intense fighting. In Gaza, the UN estimates that 1.7 million people, or 75 percent of the population, have been displaced by the Israeli conflict that began in October 2023.
Regarding Ukraine, following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, approximately 750,000 people were newly displaced within the country last year, bringing the total number of internally displaced people to 3.7 million by the end of 2023. The number of Ukrainian refugees and asylum-seekers increased by over 275,000 to six million.
Syria continues to be the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 13.8 million people forcibly displaced both inside and outside the country, according to UNHCR.
