The United Nations refugee agency has announced that the global number of people forcibly displaced due to conflict and persecution has exceeded 122 million, marking an increase of about 2 million since last year and nearly double the figure from a decade ago.
Filippo Grandi, the head of the UNHCR, noted some positive developments over the past six months, such as the return of almost 2 million Syrians to their homeland as the country attempts to rebuild after more than 10 years of civil war, reports UNB citing AP.
These figures are part of the UNHCR’s Global Trends Report released on Thursday, which found that by April, 122.1 million people had been displaced either within their countries or across borders, up from 120 million the previous year.
A significant rise was also seen in the number of internally displaced individuals, which climbed over 9% to reach 73.5 million by the end of last year. These totals reflect prolonged periods of instability, with some people returning home while others continued to flee.
The report comes amid financial challenges for humanitarian organizations, including reduced funding from the US and other major Western donors.
The UNHCR also highlighted that nearly two-thirds of those who fled across borders sought refuge in neighboring countries, challenging the common belief in wealthier nations that most displaced people are heading for destinations like Europe or the US
Sudan has now become the site of the world’s most severe displacement crisis, with over 14 million people forced from their homes due to ongoing civil war—surpassing Syria’s 13.5 million. Afghanistan has seen over 10 million people displaced, while approximately 8.8 million people have been displaced within or from Ukraine, according to the agency.
