Geographies in Depth

The number of refugees has increased 70% since 2011

Rohingya refugees gather to mark the second anniversary of the exodus at the Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2019.

Rohingya refugees gather to mark the second anniversary of the exodus at the Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2019. Image: REUTERS/Rafiqur Rahman

Emi Suzuki

The number of refugees globally rose to 25.9 million in 2018, up from 25.4 million in 2017, and setting a new record, according to newly released UNHCR report and World Bank estimates. The number of people seeking international protection outside of their country of origin has increased 70% since 2011.

Countries producing the largest numbers of refugees include (in order) the Syrian Arab Republic, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, Somalia, and Sudan. More than half (56%) of the world’s refugees in 2018 came from these six countries. The number of refugees from Syria, South Sudan, and Myanmar has increased rapidly over the last couple of years.

Image: UNHCR and World Bank

Where do these refugees go? The majority of them live in countries neighboring their countries of origin. About half of the world’s 26 million refugees are hosted by just six countries—Turkey, Jordan, West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Uganda. The share rises to nearly 75% if the next eight refugee-hosting countries: Bangladesh, Chad, Congo DR, Ethiopia, Germany, Iran, South Sudan, and Syria. Among the regions of the world, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe and Central Asia, and South Asia host the largest numbers of refugees. The majority of hosts are low- and middle-income countries.

Image: UNCHR, UNRWA, and World Bank

These new data will become available soon in the World Development Indicators database. To monitor these situations, statistics are critical to inform the response of the international community. The Expert Group on Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons Statistics (EGRIS) was established in 2016 and continues its efforts for more reliable and high-quality refugee statistics. A blog about World Bank engagement through the EGRIS is available here.

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Africa

Related topics:
Geographies in DepthEconomic Growth
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Africa is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

BRICS: Here’s what to know about the international bloc

Spencer Feingold

November 20, 2024

How Japan can lead in forest mapping to maximize climate change mitigation

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum