WORLD REFUGEE DAY: 65 MILLION REFUGEES – The UNHCR annual report

A record number of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons worldwide has been reported, according to UNHCR’s annual report. The figure reaches 65.6 million and shows an increase of 300.000 compared to 2015, lower than in the 2014-2015 period when the number reached five million.

However, High Commissioner for Refugee Affairs, Filippo Grandi, stressed again that the numbers testify to the failure of international diplomacy. “Peace in this world seems to be impossible,” he commented.

At the same time, Filippo Grandi warned about the burden on the poorest countries in the world, with about 84% of the displaced living in poor or middle-income countries.

UNHCR has said that the issue is not only the acceptance and hosting of more refugees but the substantial investment in promoting peace.

Displaced people worldwide in numbers:

There are 65.6 million displaced people worldwide – more than those living in the United Kingdom.

Specifically:

22.5 million people are refugees
40.3 million people are displaced in their own country
2.8 million seeking asylum
Where do the refugees come from?

5.5 million from Syria, while 6.3 million Syrians are displaced internally
2.5 million from Afghanistan
1.4 million from Southern Sudan

Who hosts the refugees?

Turkey hosts 2.9 million, Pakistan 1.4 million, Lebanon one million, Iran 979.4 thousand, Uganda 940.800 and Ethiopia 791.600.