The United Nations refugee agency said that a record 117.3 million people had been displaced in 2023.
These people include refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people who are displaced due to conflict, persecution and complex forms of violence.
In the last 12 years, there has been a yearly increase in the number of people forcibly displaced.
In total, 1.5% of the world’s population is now forcibly displaced, which is around double what it was a decade ago.
UNHCR estimates that forced displacement has continued to increase in the first four months of 2024.
Due to the war in Sudan, more than 9 million people have been internally displaced, and another 2 million have fled to neighbouring countries.
Due to Israel’s bombardment in Gaza, 1.7 million people (80% of the Palestinian population) have been internally displaced.
The US, with 1.2 million, is the world’s largest recipient of new asylum applications.
The UNHCR also found that 40% of all forcibly displaced people are minors.
