Did you know that the world surpassed the 100 million mark for total displacement in 2023, and that over 1.2 percent of the global population have been forced to leave their homes?

In the past decade, the global refugee crisis has more than doubled in scope. In 2022, the UNHCR announced that the world had surpassed the 100 million mark for total displacement, meaning that over 1.2% of the global population have been forced to leave their homes.

As of mid-2023, that also includes 30.51 million refugees. Over half of those refugees come from just three countries. These numbers are high — almost beyond comprehension — but each one represents a person who has been forced to leave everything behind due to circumstances beyond their control.

Here are the 10 largest refugee crises and situations to know in 2023 as we enter into the year 2024.

1. SYRIA
Syria continues to be the world’s largest refugee crisis as we enter 2024, representing nearly 25% of the total global refugee population. As of mid-2023, 6.49 million Syrians have sought refuge, primarily in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, and Türkiye. In Lebanon, there are no formal camps, which leaves its population of over 1 million Syrians living across 2,000 communities, often in overcrowded temporary shelters.

2. AFGHANISTAN
The ongoing crisis in Afghanistan has made it one of the top countries of origin for refugees. One in every five refugees originated from this country, and over 6.1 million Afghans are internationally displaced — largely in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran. (The latest UNHCR data does not yet account for the return of thousands of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, which took place in late 2023.)

3. UKRAINE
In February 2022, escalated conflict in Ukraine led to a full humanitarian crisis that has displaced over 5.8 million refugees in the last two years. This is more than 13% of the country’s population, and just under 20% of the world’s global refugee population.

4. SOUTH SUDAN
The world’s youngest nation is also the site of one of its largest refugee crises, one that entered its tenth year last month. Over 4 million South Sudanese have been forced from their homes, with 2.2 million of those having to leave the country entirely.

5. BANGLADESH
Beginning in August 2017, over 1 million stateless Rohingya fled ongoing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Many are still living in the world’s largest refugee camp, located in nearby Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The Rohingya represent the majority of the 1.26 million refugees displaced from Myanmar over the last six years. Together with UN agencies, over 130 local, national, and international nonprofits (including Concern) have supported the Government of Bangladesh to adjust to this increase in capacity.

6. SUDAN
Conditions in Sudan have deteriorated throughout 2023 as the country faces some of the worst violence in decades. At the end of 2022, approximately 844,000 refugees around the world were Sudanese. As of mid-2023, that number exceeded 1.02 million, and showed no signs of abating.

7. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
The Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, remains one of the world’s largest “forgotten” humanitarian crises, with events in a protracted situation rarely making headlines. Combining refugees and IDPs, its displacement numbers are the highest in Africa. This includes over 948,000 refugees — an increase of nearly 100,000 over just two years. In tandem with this, the DRC is also a large host community for refugees from neighbouring countries.

8. SOMALIA
In recent years, the number of Somali refugees around the world had been in decline, registering as less than 800,000 last year. Unfortunately, Somalia’s protracted cycle of crisis has once again led to an increase in refugees with over 814,000 as of mid-2023. The situation is dire for many, who are forced to contend with drought, conflict, and hunger. Last year (2022) and earlier this year, the country was at the epicentre of the current Horn of Africa crisis and facing famine-like conditions. While rains have broken the drought, the recovery from this crisis will not be swift.

9. CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
For more than a decade, a humanitarian crisis has raged in Central African Republic, CAR. It’s gone largely unnoticed in mainstream western media; however over 750,000 Central Africans were registered as refugees in 2023 — with thousands more displaced internally. This escalation in violence (which has been ongoing since CAR gained independence from France in 1960) has made it increasingly dangerous for Central Africans to live in the country.

10. ERITREA
As of mid-2023, over 537,000 Eritreans — nearly 15% of the country’s population — have been displaced abroad due to ongoing violence and political instability. This represents an increase of approximately 36,000 people compared to 2022.

Source: Concern | Read full report
https://www.concern.net/news/largest-refugee-crises

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