Key Takeaways
- The World Bank’s Groundswell II report projects that by 2050, under a high emissions scenario (SSP3 3.0), Latin America could see 14.3 million new internal climate migrants due to slow-onset hazards like water scarcity and crop failure
- In sub-Saharan Africa, the same Groundswell II report estimates 86.5 million internal climate migrants by 2050 under high emissions, primarily driven by drought and flooding displacing rural populations
- South Asia faces 41.1 million internal climate migrants by 2050 per World Bank, with Bangladesh contributing over 13 million due to riverine flooding and cyclones
- IDMC reports that in 2022, weather-related disasters displaced 32.6 million people globally, with 71% in the least developed countries and small island states
- UNHCR estimates that by 2030, slow-onset climate change could displace 200 million people worldwide, exacerbating existing refugee crises
- IOM’s World Migration Report 2024 states that 21.5 million people were displaced by weather disasters annually from 2008-2022, averaging out to climate-induced movements
- 70% of climate refugees are women and children, per UNHCR, due to gendered vulnerabilities in evacuation and resource access
- Children under 15 comprise 50% of climate-displaced populations in low-income countries, IOM data shows
- Indigenous peoples represent 5% of global population but 15% of climate refugees, per UN, due to land dependency
- Climate displacement costs sub-Saharan Africa $10 billion annually in GDP losses from labor migration, IMF estimates
- Global economic cost of climate migration projected at $1 trillion by 2050, per Institute for Economics and Peace
- Bangladesh loses $1.2 billion yearly from climate-induced rural-urban migration, ADB report
- Nansen Initiative has facilitated policy dialogues in 50 countries for climate refugee protection by 2023
- Only 11 countries recognize climate refugees in national laws as of 2024, per IOM monitoring
- EU’s New Pact on Migration includes climate displacement clauses, affecting 1 million potential arrivals by 2030
The world faces tens of millions of people displaced by climate change annually.
Demographic Vulnerabilities
Demographic Vulnerabilities Interpretation
Economic Impacts
Economic Impacts Interpretation
Global Estimates
Global Estimates Interpretation
Policy and Migration Trends
Policy and Migration Trends Interpretation
Regional Data
Regional Data Interpretation
Sources & References
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