The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reveals that 2023-2024 witnessed a historically high number of forced displacements across the world. The agency’s Global Trends Report 2024 found Afghans stand as the largest population of refugees worldwide, with the majority seeking refuge in Iran and Pakistan. The report displays an ugly picture of the state of global displacement, significant challenges, and the need for international cooperation to address the root causes of forced displacement.
The report contains an assessment by the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which estimates that about 75 percent of the population in the Gaza Strip – nearly 1.7 million people — have been displaced. Syria holds the record for the highest number of people forcibly displaced, with 13.8 million displaced both within and outside its borders. Pakistan is among the five top refugee-hosting countries
Afghans stand one in six of all refugees under UNHCR’s mandate. The previous year, more than 6.4 million Afghans were hosted in 108 countries and this number increased by 23 percent – 741,400 – this year (2024). This surge is primarily due to the rise in the number of Afghans in refugee-like situations in Iran and Pakistan.
Nearly three in four refugees- 73 percent- originate from just five countries, and 87 percent come from only 10 countries that also showed an increase then the previous year. The largest refugee-hosting countries include Iran with 3.8 million, Turkiye with 3.3 million, Colombia with 2.9 million, Germany with 2.6 million, and Pakistan with 2 million. Most refugees in Iran and Pakistan are Afghans, in Turkiye are Syrians.
Globally, nearly 10.9 million Afghans remained displaced, with most staying within their country or in neighboring countries. In 2023, the increased number of Afghan refugees totaling 6.4 million, according mainly to the new population estimates from Iran and Pakistan. “Opportunities for sustainable return are limited, half of Afghanistan’s – over 40 million – faces acute food insecurity, and millions remain displaced within the country,” the report said.
The report discloses the conflict in the Gaza Strip has had a devastating impact on the Palestinian civilian population. In Gaza, the humanitarian crises is extremely dire with 2.2 million inhabitants facing acute food insecurity and an imminent threat of famine. UNRWA states that between October and December 2023, up to 1.7 million people have been displaced within the Gaza Strip, with many forced to flee multiple times.
By the end of 2023, there were 6 million Palestinian refugees under UNRWA’s mandate, with 1.6 million in the Gaza Strip. Two-thirds of these refugees have become internally displaced in 2023, combining existing vulnerabilities. The military takeover in Myanmar in February 2021 has displaced more than 1.3 million people within the country till 2023 while this number of internally displaced persons now stands at 2.6 million. Most of these people are Rohingya Muslims. Conflict between rival militaries in Sudan has resulted in 10.8 million people being uprooted by the end of 2023. Additionally, millions were internally displaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar last year. “Behind these stark and rising numbers lie countless human tragedies. That suffering must galvanize the international community to urgently act to address the root causes of displacement,” said Filippo Grandi, the UNHCR Commissioner. (By Rana Kashif)
