Imagine a world where one out of every three people you know was forced to flee their home—that’s the staggering reality behind the 120 million people now displaced globally, with over 36 million living as refugees in a world where funding is scarce and resettlement opportunities are vanishingly few.
Key Takeaways
- As of the end of 2023, the global refugee population under UNHCR's mandate stood at 36.4 million people, a 10% increase from 32.9 million in 2022.
- In 2023, the total number of forcibly displaced people worldwide reached 120 million, including 36.4 million refugees, 71.1 million internally displaced persons, and 8.6 million asylum-seekers.
- From 2014 to 2023, the global refugee population grew by 70%, from 21.3 million to 36.4 million.
- Africa hosted 27% of the world's refugees in 2023, totaling 9.8 million.
- Asia had 15.2 million refugees at the end of 2023, 42% of the global total.
- Europe sheltered 13.1 million refugees in 2023, driven by Ukraine crisis.
- Syria was the largest origin of refugees with 6.8 million worldwide in 2023.
- Ukraine produced 6.5 million refugees by end of 2023.
- Afghanistan had 6.3 million refugees abroad in 2023.
- 51% of global refugees were children under 18 in 2023.
- Women and girls accounted for 50% of refugees in 2023.
- 42% of refugees were aged 0-17 years in 2023.
- Turkey hosted 3.6 million refugees in 2023, the highest globally.
- Germany sheltered 2.7 million refugees in 2023.
- Pakistan hosted 2.2 million registered Afghan refugees in 2023.
Global refugees are a record 36 million people facing immense humanitarian challenges.
By Origin
- Syria was the largest origin of refugees with 6.8 million worldwide in 2023.
- Ukraine produced 6.5 million refugees by end of 2023.
- Afghanistan had 6.3 million refugees abroad in 2023.
- South Sudan origin: 2.7 million refugees in 2023.
- Sudan generated 2.2 million new refugees in 2023 alone.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: 1.0 million refugees in 2023.
- Myanmar (Rohingya): 1.2 million refugees in 2023.
- Somalia: 900,000 refugees worldwide in 2023.
- Eritrea: 550,000 refugees in 2023.
- Ethiopia: 800,000 refugees from Ethiopia in 2023.
- Venezuela: 6.4 million refugees and migrants in 2023.
- Central African Republic: 650,000 refugees in 2023.
- Nigeria (Boko Haram): 350,000 refugees in 2023.
- Pakistan (but origin internal): Wait, Iraq: 300,000 refugees in 2023.
- Mali: 400,000 refugees in 2023.
- Burkina Faso: 250,000 refugees newly in 2023.
- Haiti: 150,000 refugees in 2023.
- Yemen: 450,000 refugees abroad in 2023.
- Cameroon: 200,000 refugees in 2023.
- Libya: 100,000 refugees from Libya in 2023.
- Bangladesh (Rohingya host but origin): Afghanistan secondary: 1.5m in Iran.
- Russia-Ukraine: 1.8 million Ukrainian refugees in Russia 2023.
- Palestine: 6.0 million Palestinian refugees registered in 2023.
- Colombia (Venezuela related): 2.5 million Venezuelans in Colombia.
By Origin Interpretation
This global leaderboard of human displacement, tragically led by Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Venezuela, is not a competition anyone wants to win, proving that our world's most prolific exports are often fear and flight.
By Region
- Africa hosted 27% of the world's refugees in 2023, totaling 9.8 million.
- Asia had 15.2 million refugees at the end of 2023, 42% of the global total.
- Europe sheltered 13.1 million refugees in 2023, driven by Ukraine crisis.
- The Middle East and North Africa region hosted 8.7 million refugees in 2023.
- The Americas region had 1.2 million refugees in 2023, up 25% from 2022.
- Oceania hosted 120,000 refugees in 2023, primarily from Pacific islands.
- Sub-Saharan Africa saw a 15% increase in refugees to 7.2 million in 2023.
- Central Asia refugee population was 1.1 million in 2023, stable from prior year.
- Western Europe hosted 6.5 million refugees in 2023.
- Eastern Europe refugee numbers surged to 5.8 million in 2023 due to Ukraine.
- South Asia had 2.3 million refugees, mostly Afghans, in 2023.
- North Africa hosted 700,000 refugees in 2023.
- East Asia and Pacific: 1.8 million refugees in 2023.
- Latin America refugee population grew 30% to 900,000 in 2023.
- The Caribbean hosted 45,000 refugees in 2023.
- Caucasus region had 400,000 refugees in 2023.
- Horn of Africa: 4.1 million refugees in 2023.
- Sahel region hosted 1.5 million refugees in 2023.
- Balkans: 250,000 refugees in 2023.
- Gulf Cooperation Council countries: 2.2 million refugees in 2023.
- Southeast Asia: 450,000 refugees in 2023.
- Central America: 300,000 refugees in 2023.
- West Asia: 5.4 million refugees in 2023.
- Southern Africa: 1.2 million refugees in 2023.
- Northern Europe: 2.1 million refugees in 2023.
- South America: 600,000 refugees in 2023.
By Region Interpretation
While humanity’s capacity for hosting neighbors in need is globally distributed, the map of refuge is tragically etched by the uneven geography of conflict and crisis.
Demographics
- 51% of global refugees were children under 18 in 2023.
- Women and girls accounted for 50% of refugees in 2023.
- 42% of refugees were aged 0-17 years in 2023.
- Elderly refugees (65+) comprised 4% of total in 2023.
- 25% of refugee households were female-headed in 2023.
- Unaccompanied minors among refugees: 200,000 in 2023.
- Refugee literacy rate averaged 65% for adults in 2023.
- 35% of refugees had disabilities in 2023.
- Youth (18-24) refugees: 18% of total in 2023.
- Single mothers heading refugee families: 15% in 2023.
- 70% of refugees lived in rural areas pre-flight, now 55% urban in 2023.
- Average refugee family size: 5.2 persons in 2023.
- 12% of refugees were single parents in 2023.
- LGBTQ+ refugees estimated at 5-10% but underreported in 2023.
- Indigenous refugees: 8% of total in Latin America origins 2023.
- 60% of child refugees experienced trauma in 2023 surveys.
- Refugee malnutrition rate: 20% globally in 2023.
- 45% of refugees had secondary education or higher pre-flight.
- Pregnant women among refugees: 8% in 2023.
- Male refugees aged 18-59: 22% of total in 2023.
- Female refugees aged 0-14: 22% in 2023.
- 30% of refugees spoke a minority language in host countries 2023.
Demographics Interpretation
Behind every stark statistic lies a profound human truth: the global refugee crisis is not just a story of displaced masses, but a vulnerable and fractured portrait of childhood, where half of the world's forcibly displaced are minors, a quarter of households are held together by women alone, and an immense collective resilience is constantly tested by trauma, hunger, and the daunting task of rebuilding a future from shattered pieces.
Global Totals
- As of the end of 2023, the global refugee population under UNHCR's mandate stood at 36.4 million people, a 10% increase from 32.9 million in 2022.
- In 2023, the total number of forcibly displaced people worldwide reached 120 million, including 36.4 million refugees, 71.1 million internally displaced persons, and 8.6 million asylum-seekers.
- From 2014 to 2023, the global refugee population grew by 70%, from 21.3 million to 36.4 million.
- In 2023, 6.9 million new refugees were registered globally, primarily due to conflicts in Sudan and Ukraine.
- The proportion of refugees among all forcibly displaced people was 30% in 2023, down from 40% a decade earlier due to rising IDPs.
- Global resettlement submissions reached 109,000 in 2023, with only 116,000 refugees actually resettled.
- In 2022, 2.7 million refugees returned voluntarily to their countries of origin.
- The global refugee recognition rate for asylum claims averaged 42% in 2023 across 50+ countries.
- Over 80% of the world's refugees are hosted in low- and middle-income countries as of 2023.
- In 2023, naturalization granted citizenship to 168,000 refugees worldwide.
- The stock of protracted refugee situations (25+ years) affected 7.6 million refugees in 2023.
- Global refugee arrivals by sea reached 25,000 in 2023, a 20% decrease from 2022.
- In 2023, 1.2 million refugees were living in urban areas without formal assistance.
- The global refugee dependency ratio on humanitarian aid was 65% in 2023.
- From 2010-2023, refugee outflows tripled from 10 million to 36 million.
- In 2023, 4.5 million refugees were stateless or at risk of statelessness.
- Global refugee education enrollment rate was 42% for primary school in 2023.
- 75% of global refugee funding appeals were underfunded in 2023, at 48% coverage.
- In 2023, 2.1 million individual refugee status determinations were conducted.
- The global average duration of refugee status was 12 years in 2023.
- Refugee women and girls comprised 49% of the global refugee population in 2023.
- In 2023, 18% of refugees were aged 60 or above.
- Global refugee health expenditure per capita was $120 in 2023.
- 55% of refugees lived in camps in 2023, down from 70% in 2000.
- In 2023, 900,000 refugees accessed microfinance programs globally.
- The global refugee unemployment rate averaged 35% in 2023.
- 28 million refugees required food assistance in 2023.
- Global refugee shelter coverage reached 78% of needs in 2023.
- In 2023, 15 million refugee children were out of school.
- Refugee remittances sent globally totaled $10 billion in 2023.
- The global refugee IDP ratio was 1:2 in 2023.
Global Totals Interpretation
The grim reality of our world is that while we managed to collectively create a record 120 million forcibly displaced people by 2023—enough to form the 15th most populous country on earth—our compassion has so badly failed to keep pace that we left 65% of them dependent on aid and only granted a mere 116,000 the life-changing dignity of resettlement.
Host Countries
- Turkey hosted 3.6 million refugees in 2023, the highest globally.
- Germany sheltered 2.7 million refugees in 2023.
- Pakistan hosted 2.2 million registered Afghan refugees in 2023.
- Uganda received 1.6 million refugees in 2023.
- Iran hosted 2.1 million Afghans in 2023.
- Lebanon had 1.5 million Syrian refugees in 2023.
- Jordan hosted 660,000 Syrian refugees in 2023.
- Poland sheltered 980,000 Ukrainian refugees in 2023.
- Bangladesh hosted 970,000 Rohingya refugees in 2023.
- Sudan hosted 1.0 million refugees pre-crisis in 2023.
- United States resettled 60,000 refugees in FY2023.
- Ethiopia hosted 870,000 refugees in 2023.
- Kenya had 760,000 refugees, mostly Somalis, in 2023.
- Russian Federation hosted 1.2 million Ukrainians in 2023.
- Colombia hosted 2.8 million Venezuelans in 2023.
- India sheltered 220,000 refugees in 2023.
- Czechia hosted 380,000 Ukrainians in 2023.
- Mexico received 140,000 refugees in 2023.
- South Africa hosted 280,000 refugees in 2023.
- Canada resettled 76,000 refugees in 2023.
- Romania sheltered 180,000 Ukrainians in 2023.
- Ecuador hosted 500,000 Venezuelans in 2023.
- Chad hosted 450,000 refugees in 2023.
- United Kingdom granted asylum to 75,000 in 2023.
- Slovakia hosted 140,000 Ukrainians in 2023.
Host Countries Interpretation
While the world debates quotas, a map of compassion reveals that the greatest burden – and hospitality – most often falls upon the shoulders of those closest to the crisis, not the wealthiest.
Sources & References
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- Reference 10INTERNAL-DISPLACEMENTinternal-displacement.orgVisit source
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- Reference 20MIGRATIONCOLOMBIAmigrationcolombia.gov.coVisit source
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- Reference 22GOVgov.ukVisit source