The UNHCR Global Trends report, released this week, has revealed that 65,3 million individuals were forcibly displaced by the end of 2015. A significant increase when compared with the number of displaced in 2014 – 59,5 million people. The report details that 21,3 million refugees were registered worldwide in 2015 (compared to 19,5 million in 2014) and that 51% of them were children. 40,8 million people were internally displaced (compared to 38,2 million people in 2014), and 3,2 million people were waiting for a decision on their application for asylum (against 1,8 million in 2014). UNHCR estimated that on average 24 people worldwide were displaced from their homes every minute of every day during 2015.
Similarly to 2014, most refugees come from Syria (4,9 million), followed by Afghanistan (2,7 million) and Somalia (1,1 million). As to the receiving countries, the report notes that in 2015, developing regions or countries hosted 86% of refugees. In relation to the national population, Lebanon continues to have the largest proportion with 183 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants; while for the second consecutive year Turkey hosted the largest number of refugees worldwide, with 2,5 million people.
“We are facing the biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time. Above all, this is not just a crisis of numbers; it is also a crisis of solidarity”, said UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on World Refugee Day.
This article appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 24 June 2016. You can subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin here.