The number of displaced persons increased by 2.9 million in 2017, bringing the global total to 68.5 million and a record high.
That’s according to the United Nations Refugee Agency’s annual “Global Trends: Forced Displacement” report published on June 19.
Of the 68.5 million displaced persons, 25.4 million were refugees, 40 million internally displaced persons and 3.1 million asylum-seekers.
While roughly 5 million people returned home in 2017, the rate of return did not keep pace with new displacements.
There were 16.2 million newly displaced persons in 2017, an average of 44,400 new people each day.
Turkey hosted the highest number of refugees last year (3.5 million), followed by Pakistan (1.4 million), Uganda (1.4 million), Lebanon (998,900, and the highest number of refugees relative to its population), Islamic Republic of Iran (979,400), Germany (970,400), Bangladesh (932,200) and Sudan (906,600).
A total of 102,800 displaced persons were resettled in 2017. The U.S. resettled 33,400 displaced persons, down from 96,900 in 2016, while Canada resettled 26,600, Australia 15,100, the United Kingdom 6,200 and Sweden 3,400.
Details about the U.S. refugee resettlement process are available here.
“Now, more than ever, taking care of refugees must be a global – and shared – responsibility. It’s time to do things differently,” stated U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “Getting laws and policies right is vital. But it’s local people and communities that are on the front lines when refugees arrive, and whose welcome makes the difference – the difference between rejection and inclusion; between despair and hope; between being left behind and building a future. Sharing responsibility for refugees starts there.”
The full report is available here.
