The number of refugees and internally displaced people has now crossed the milestone of 100 million, propelled by the war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts, says Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“The number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record,” he said. 53.2 million people were displaced inside their borders by conflict.
According to new data from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide rose towards 90 million by the end of 2021, propelled by new waves of violence or protracted conflict in countries including Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the Ukraine War has displaced 8 million within the country this year, and more than 6 million refugee movements from Ukraine have been registered.
However, humanitarian aid is a palliative, not a cure, reckons Grandi. “To reverse this trend, the only answer is peace and stability so that innocent people are not forced to gamble between acute danger at home or precarious flight and exile.”
A total of 6.4 million Ukrainians have left the country since 24 February, according to the UN data. Poland has welcomed the most refugees (3.46 million), followed by Romania (~934,000), Russia (887,000), Hungary (633,000), Moldova (468,000), Slovakia (435,000) and Belarus (27,000).
