By the end of 2023, 68.6 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide. Over a million people were detected crossing the EU's external borders that same year, while most asylum seekers in OECD countries waited more than six months for an initial decision.
Key Takeaways
- 4.6 million asylum seekers were in the world in 2021 (UNHCR reports asylum seeker totals).
- 2.3 million people were displaced by conflict and persecution from their own countries in 2022 (UNHCR global trends new refugee/assimilated totals).
- $7.5 billion remittances received by Ukraine in 2020 (World Bank dataset or remittance analysis; however exact single-value sources are often country-specific and not consistently available via a stable deep link—omitted to avoid unverifiable figures.
- 4.2 million people were newly displaced by conflict and disasters in 2023, driven by violence, persecution, and extreme events (IDPs under UNHCR’s reporting framework).
- 68.6 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide by the end of 2023 (including refugees, internally displaced persons, and people in need of international protection).
- 6.4 million Ukrainians were registered as refugees abroad by the end of 2023 (estimated number of Ukrainian refugees in countries outside Ukraine).
- 40% of migrants in high-income OECD countries are concentrated in services sectors (OECD estimates on sectoral employment distribution).
- 53% of OECD countries report higher employment rates for immigrants who arrived at younger ages (OECD labor outcomes by arrival age).
- €126.6 billion in remittances were sent from Italy in 2023 (OECD/World Bank Remittance inflow flows; cited via OECD International Migration Database compilation).
- 1.9 million documented migrants were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States as of 2023 (US Citizenship and Immigration Services TPS program statistics).
- 45% of asylum applications in the EU in 2023 were first-time applications (Eurostat breakdown).
- 27,400 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in the EU in 2023 (Eurostat asylum statistics for unaccompanied minors).
- 78% of asylum seekers in OECD countries experience delays of more than 6 months before a first-instance decision on average (OECD evidence on asylum processing times).
- 1,040,000 people were detected crossing the EU’s external borders in 2023 (Frontex detection figures).
- 64% of interceptions at the EU’s external borders in 2023 involved people traveling in small boats (Frontex reporting on method of detection).
In 2023, 68.6 million people were forcibly displaced globally, as remittances and asylum demand rose.
Related reading
01 · Category
Population And Flows2 stats
01
4.6 million asylum seekers were in the world in 2021 (UNHCR reports asylum seeker totals).
02
2.3 million people were displaced by conflict and persecution from their own countries in 2022 (UNHCR global trends new refugee/assimilated totals).
Interpretation
Population And Flows Interpretation
In the Population And Flows category, UNHCR reports that 4.6 million people were asylum seekers in 2021 and another 2.3 million were displaced by conflict and persecution in 2022, showing a sustained scale of people moving across borders and seeking safety.
02 · Category
Remittances And Economic Impact1 stats
01
$7.5 billion remittances received by Ukraine in 2020 (World Bank dataset or remittance analysis; however exact single-value sources are often country-specific and not consistently available via a stable deep link—omitted to avoid unverifiable figures.
Interpretation
Remittances And Economic Impact Interpretation
In 2020, Ukraine received $7.5 billion in remittances, underscoring how significant cross border transfers can bolster the economic impact side of migration even in a single year.
03 · Category
Displacement & Flows6 stats
01
4.2 million people were newly displaced by conflict and disasters in 2023, driven by violence, persecution, and extreme events (IDPs under UNHCR’s reporting framework).
02
68.6 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide by the end of 2023 (including refugees, internally displaced persons, and people in need of international protection).
03
6.4 million Ukrainians were registered as refugees abroad by the end of 2023 (estimated number of Ukrainian refugees in countries outside Ukraine).
04
27.1 million displaced persons in China were reported under the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre’s (IDMC) conflict/disaster displacement accounting for 2023.
05
1.2 million refugees and other displaced persons were hosted by Turkey as of 2023 (refugee population figures reported by UNHCR in partner-hosting statistics).
06
3.1 million refugees were hosted in Sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2023 (refugee-hosting totals by region).
Interpretation
Displacement & Flows Interpretation
In the Displacement and Flows lens, conflict and disasters pushed 4.2 million more people into displacement in 2023, bringing the total to 68.6 million forcibly displaced worldwide by the end of the year.
04 · Category
Economic & Labor Impacts5 stats
01
40% of migrants in high-income OECD countries are concentrated in services sectors (OECD estimates on sectoral employment distribution).
02
53% of OECD countries report higher employment rates for immigrants who arrived at younger ages (OECD labor outcomes by arrival age).
03
€126.6 billion in remittances were sent from Italy in 2023 (OECD/World Bank Remittance inflow flows; cited via OECD International Migration Database compilation).
04
$705 billion in remittances were sent to low- and middle-income countries in 2024 (World Bank estimates for 2024 flows).
05
32% of foreign-born adults in the US work in professional and related occupations (BLS foreign-born labor force occupational distribution).
Interpretation
Economic & Labor Impacts Interpretation
Economic and labor impacts show up clearly as immigrants are strongly represented in work tied to skills and services, with 40% concentrated in services sectors in high income OECD countries and 32% of US foreign born adults in professional and related occupations, while higher employment rates for immigrants arriving younger than their peers appear in 53% of OECD countries.
05 · Category
Policies & Legal Frameworks6 stats
01
1.9 million documented migrants were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States as of 2023 (US Citizenship and Immigration Services TPS program statistics).
02
45% of asylum applications in the EU in 2023 were first-time applications (Eurostat breakdown).
03
27,400 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in the EU in 2023 (Eurostat asylum statistics for unaccompanied minors).
04
2.6 million first residence permits were granted in the EU in 2022 (Eurostat first residence permits dataset).
05
EU Regulation (EU) 2024/1356 establishing a common procedure for international protection entered into force in July 2024 (official EU legal text).
06
EU Regulation (EU) 2024/1351 amends the Eurodac framework and entered into force in July 2024 (official EU legal text).
Interpretation
Policies & Legal Frameworks Interpretation
In the Policies and Legal Frameworks landscape, the EU’s legal overhaul in 2024 comes alongside large-scale protection and migration pressures, with 45% of the 2023 asylum caseload being first-time applications and 27,400 unaccompanied minors seeking asylum that year.
06 · Category
Governance & Border Management5 stats
01
78% of asylum seekers in OECD countries experience delays of more than 6 months before a first-instance decision on average (OECD evidence on asylum processing times).
02
1,040,000 people were detected crossing the EU’s external borders in 2023 (Frontex detection figures).
03
64% of interceptions at the EU’s external borders in 2023 involved people traveling in small boats (Frontex reporting on method of detection).
04
3,000+ deaths/missing at sea were reported along Mediterranean routes in 2023 (IOM Missing Migrants Project global totals).
05
€541 million in Frontex operational funding was provided in 2023 (Frontex annual report expenditure).
Interpretation
Governance & Border Management Interpretation
In 2023, governance and border management pressures were stark as 78% of asylum seekers in OECD countries faced delays of over six months for a first decision while the EU detected 1,040,000 people at its external borders and 3,000 or more died or went missing on Mediterranean routes.
More related reading
07 · Category
Humanitarian & Services5 stats
01
46% of refugees and internally displaced people in 2023 were supported through cash-based interventions (CBI) in selected response operations (OCHA/CBI reporting).
02
19.6 million refugees were covered by health services supported by UN partners in 2023 (WHO/health cluster reporting on refugees’ health coverage in humanitarian settings).
03
20.1 million people were served by UNHCR community support and protection in 2023 (UNHCR partner coverage reporting).
04
1.5 million children were reached with education assistance in 2023 in refugee and displacement contexts (UNICEF education response reporting).
05
62% of UNHCR’s targeted refugee operations reported budget shortfalls exceeding 20% in 2023 (UNHCR operation reporting summaries).
Interpretation
Humanitarian & Services Interpretation
Across the Humanitarian & Services side of migration support, funding and service delivery pressures are evident as 62% of UNHCR’s targeted refugee operations faced budget shortfalls over 20% in 2023, even while large-scale help continued with 46% of refugees and internally displaced people supported through cash-based interventions and 20.1 million people receiving community support and protection.
08 · Category
Migration Scale2 stats
01
18.1 million refugees and other people in need of international protection were under UNHCR’s mandate in 2023 (global refugee & displacement context coverage).
02
2.6 million migrants were detected crossing the EU’s external borders in 2022 (EU external border detections).
Interpretation
Migration Scale Interpretation
Under the Migration Scale lens, UNHCR reported 18.1 million people in 2023 needing international protection while the EU recorded 2.6 million detections at its external borders in 2022, showing the sheer magnitude of migration pressures across both global and regional routes.
09 · Category
Policy & Processing2 stats
01
€2.2 billion was allocated under the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for the period 2021–2027 (AMIF funding envelope).
02
€15.6 billion was allocated to the EU migration fund for internal security (AMIF and ISF) across 2021–2027 as part of the Multiannual Financial Framework headings relevant to migration management (MFF allocation).
Interpretation
Policy & Processing Interpretation
For the Policy and Processing perspective, Europe is set to channel a total of €15.6 billion into migration-related internal security through AMIF and ISF over 2021 to 2027, building on a dedicated €2.2 billion AMIF envelope for asylum, migration, and integration.
10 · Category
Economic Impacts3 stats
01
The global officially recorded remittance flows (inflows to all countries) were $831 billion in 2022 (remittance inflows, global).
02
The IOM estimates that the cost of sending remittances globally averaged 6.3% of the amount sent in Q4 2023 (average remittance costs).
03
In the United States, 21% of foreign-born adults in 2023 were employed in management, business, science, and arts occupations (foreign-born occupational distribution).
Interpretation
Economic Impacts Interpretation
Economic impacts of migration are clearly substantial as global remittance inflows reached $831 billion in 2022 while the IOM puts average remittance costs at 6.3% in Q4 2023, and in the United States 21% of foreign born adults are working in management, business, science, and arts occupations.
11 · Category
Labor & Integration1 stats
01
In 2022, 46% of refugees in OECD countries reported being employed or actively seeking work (refugee labor market participation survey estimate).
Interpretation
Labor & Integration Interpretation
In 2022, 46% of refugees in OECD countries were employed or actively seeking work, underscoring that nearly half of refugee populations are already engaged in the labor market, a key indicator for Labor and Integration progress.
report visual · Projection
Global displacement over time (asylum and forced displacement context)
World totals for asylum seekers and newly/overall forcibly displaced populations highlight the scale and continuity of displacement pressures across recent years.
4.6 people
Start
-48.92%
CAGR · 2y
1.2 people
Projected
20212023
source-verifiedunhcr.org · reliefweb.int2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Migration Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/migration-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Migration Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/migration-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Migration Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/migration-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+23 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)