UNITED NATIONS: Afghans continue to make up the largest population of refugees worldwide, with the majority seeking refuge in Iran and Pakistan, maintaining a trend observed in previous years, according to a UNHCR report released on Thursday.
The UN refugee agency’s 2024 Global Trends Report includes estimates of internally displaced persons, pointing out that the years 2023 and 2024 saw historically high levels of forced displacement worldwide.
Key Findings
Afghan Refugees
- Afghans constitute one in six of all refugees under UNHCR’s mandate.
- Over the past year, more than 6.4 million Afghans were hosted in 108 countries.
- The surge is primarily due to the rise in the number of Afghans in refugee-like situations in Iran (+327,300) and Pakistan (+189,800).
Major Host Countries
- Iran: 3.8 million refugees
- Turkiye: 3.3 million refugees
- Colombia: 2.9 million refugees
- Germany: 2.6 million refugees
- Pakistan: 2 million refugees
Syria
- Syria holds the record for the highest number of people forcibly displaced, with 13.8 million displaced both within and outside its borders.
Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
- Approximately 75% of the population in the Gaza Strip — approximately 1.7 million people — have been displaced.
- The humanitarian situation is extremely dire, with all 2.2 million inhabitants facing acute food insecurity.
- By the end of 2023, there were 6 million Palestinian refugees under UNRWA’s mandate, with 1.6 million in the Gaza Strip.
Displacement in Myanmar
- Escalating violence following the military takeover in Myanmar in February 2021 has displaced more than 1.3 million people within the country in 2023.
- Most of the displaced are Rohingya Muslims.
Other Significant Displacements
- Conflict between rival militaries in Sudan resulted in 10.8 million people being uprooted by the end of 2023.
- Millions were internally displaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar last year.
Comments from UN Officials
“Behind these stark and rising numbers lie countless human tragedies. That suffering must galvanise the international community to act urgently to tackle the root causes of forced displacement,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, while commenting on the report.