The UN adopted the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees on June 20, 1951, which is why this date was chosen to celebrate World Refugee Day. On this day, the world community pays tribute to people who were forced to leave their homes due to military conflicts, political persecution or other objective reasons.
The convention was ratified by the majority of the world’s countries, thereby the states undertook to provide comprehensive assistance to forced migrants.
After millions of our fellow citizens became refugees as a result of the Russian full-scale invasion, the topic of displaced people is close to almost every Ukrainian, because most of them have relatives or acquaintances who left their homes to save their families and children.
Our selection of facts about forced migrants will help you learn more about the situation with refugees in the world.
117 million people are considered refugees
According to the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 117 million people are currently considered refugees. The report takes into account both those who have already received refugee status and those who claim it and are awaiting a decision.
The majority of forcibly displaced persons (68.3 million) are internally displaced persons, that is, those who have relocated within their country of origin. 68 million people is roughly the population of Great Britain.
Ukraine ranks fourth in the world
In terms of the number of forced migrants, our country ranks fourth in the world after Afghanistan (6.4 million people), Syria (6.4 million), and Venezuela (6.1 million). According to the UN, there are currently about 6 million forcibly displaced Ukrainians.
90% of refugees in the world come from 10 countries
According to UNHCR, around 43.4 million people worldwide live outside their countries of origin as refugees or under other international protection programs such as temporary humanitarian stay. This is more than the entire population of Poland. Nine out of ten refugees worldwide come from Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, the Palestinian Territories, South Sudan, Sudan, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.
Countries that received the most migrants
Iran, Turkey, Colombia, and Jordan are home to the largest number of refugees, most of whom have fled Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, and the Palestinian Territories, respectively.
In Europe, Germany accepted the most refugees. There are more than 2 million displaced Syrians and Ukrainians in Germany alone.
The number of refugees is increasing
In 10 years, the number of refugees in the world has almost doubled. In 2014, 8 out of every 1,000 people worldwide were forcibly displaced. In 2023, this number increased to 14 per 1,000 people.
