The Number of Global Refugees and Displaced Persons Increased to Over 68 Million

On Tuesday, June 19, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced that the number of refugees and displaced persons due to war, violence, and imprisonment reached 68.5 million in 2017. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees pointed to the ongoing crises in countries such as South Sudan, Congo, and Myanmar, stating that the total number of refugees to other countries and internally displaced persons increased to 68 million and 500 thousand in 2017. According to the report, on average, every two seconds, one person was forced to leave their home, with the total number of refugees in that year being 16 million and 200 thousand. After Turkey, the countries with the highest number of refugees received in 2017 were Pakistan, Uganda, Lebanon, Iran, and Germany, respectively. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, commented, "The common perception in many countries is that the refugee crisis is a crisis of the rich world, which is not the case." According to this UN official, 85% of refugees go to poor or middle-income countries. However, the largest host country for refugees in 2017 was Turkey, with 3 million 500 thousand refugees, most of whom were Syrians. Based on published statistics, 70% of the world's refugees come from five countries: Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, and Somalia. Filippo Grandi stated in a press conference in Geneva that if wars in some of these countries come to an end, the flow of refugees could significantly decrease. However, he acknowledged that there has not been significant progress in these countries regarding peace. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees report, half of the world's refugee population consists of children. Among the 68 million and 500 thousand mentioned, 40 million are internally displaced within their own countries, and 24 million and 400 thousand have fled abroad. Among those who managed to leave their countries, 3 million and 100 thousand are awaiting their asylum responses. In 2017, about 5 million people also returned to their homes, most of whom were internally displaced refugees.