Refugees statistics in 2020 despite the global pandemic

As we entered 2021, there were 82.4 million people around the world displaced by conflict or persecution.

 Aljazeera–  Thirty millions of those are refugees, the rest are displaced within their own country (48 million) or asylum-seekers (4.1 million), according to UNHCR’s latest report. Nearly half of these forcibly displaced people are children. ۵۵ percent of refugees come from three countries: Syria, Palestine and Venezuela.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, “everything else has stopped, including the economies, but wars and conflict and violence and discrimination and persecution, all the factors that pushed these people to flee, have continued,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said.

Refugee journeys during 2020

In 2020, 1.27 million people from 64 countries became refugees. The infographic below shows the desperate journeys these people took despite the additional challenges brought on by COVID-19.

Africa accounts for more than one-third of the world’s displaced people. By the end of 2020, at least 30.6 million people were displaced across the continent.

In 2020, nearly 60,000 refugees fled from Ethiopia to neighbouring countries following violence in several parts of the East African country. In November 2020, fighting broke out in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region displacing more than one million people according to the International Organization for Migration.

In the Middle East, Syrian refugees continued to flee their country’s 10-year-long war, with nearly 134,000 recorded to have left in 2020. Half of them (65,000) fled to neighbouring Turkey, which now hosts the world’s largest refugee community – ۳٫۷ million people. That same year, nearly a quarter of Syrian refugees (32,500) reached Germany.

In Latin America, nearly 400,000 refugees fled Venezuela following a political and economic crisis in the country. Of these, 139,000 were recorded fleeing to Peru, 80,000 to the Dominican Republic and 60,000 to Brazil.

In Asia, the UN recorded at least 29,000 refugees from Myanmar. Nearly all of these refugees arrived in neighbouring India (17,000) and Bangladesh (12,000).

In Europe, at least 89,000 refugees fled from Azerbaijan to Armenia following 44 days of fighting that broke out between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Across the Atlantic, during 2020, the United States received 8,500 refugees from 20 countries. Nearly half of these refugees came from only three countries: Venezuela (1,600), El Salvador (1,200), and Guatemala (1,100). This is significantly lower than in 2019 when the country received 32,000 refugees.

Canada received 7,500 refugees from 21 countries in 2020. The top countries of origin were Nigeria (1,400), Iran (1,200) and Hungary (629). On the other side of the globe, Australia received only 956 refugees in 2020 – mostly from Iran.

UNHCR’s  trends 2020: Growing displacement despite pandemic

The year 2020 will be remembered like no other. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all facets of life, causing millions of deaths around the world and leading to human suffering, economic recession, restrictions on human mobility and severe limitations on daily life.

While the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wider cross-border migration and displacement globally is not yet clear, UNHCR data shows that arrivals of new refugees and asylum-seekers were sharply down in most regions – about 1.5 million fewer people than would have been expected in non-COVID circumstances, and reflecting how many of those seeking international protection in 2020 became stranded.

Despite COVID-related movement restrictions and pleas from the international community for a ceasefire that would facilitate the COVID-19 response, displacement continued to occur – and to grow. As a result, above one per cent of the world’s population – or 1 in 95 people – is now forcibly displaced. This compares with 1 in 159 in 2010.

Crises in 2020

 During 2020, several crises – some new, some longstanding and some resurfacing after years – forced ۱۱٫۲ million people to flee, compared to 11.0 million in 2019. This figure includes people displaced for the first time as well as people displaced repeatedly, both within and beyond countries’ borders.

When considering only international displacement situations under UNHCR’s mandate, Syria topped the list with 6.8 million people, followed by Venezuela with 4.9 million. Afghanistan and South Sudan came next, with 2.8 and 2.2 million respectively.

Turkey continued to host the largest number of refugees with just under 4 million, most of whom were Syrian refugees (92 per cent). Colombia followed, hosting over 1.7 million displaced Venezuelans. Germany hosted the third-largest population – almost 1.5 million, with Syrian refugees and asylum-seekers as the largest group (44 per cent). Pakistan and Uganda completed the top-5 hosting countries, with about 1.4 million each.

Demographics

Children are particularly affected during displacement crises, especially if their displacement drags on for many years. They account for 30 per cent of the world’s population, but an estimated ۴۲ per cent of all forcibly displaced people.

Considering by region of asylum for refugees and Venezuelans displaced abroad, the three Sub-Saharan African regions stand out as having the highest proportion of refugee children. West and Central Africa have notably more refugee women and girls (54%) than any other region.

New UNHCR estimates show that among refugees and Venezuelans displaced abroad, almost one million children were born in displacement between 2018 and 2020, an average of between 290,000 and 340,000 per year. Many of them are at risk of remaining in exile for years to come, some potentially for the rest of their lives.

Finding solutions

 With many governments closing borders for extended periods of time and restricting internal mobility, only a limited number of refugees and internally displaced people were able to avail themselves of solutions such as voluntary return or resettlement to a third country.

Returns

Some 251,000 refugees were able to return to their country of origin in 2020, either assisted by UNHCR or spontaneously. This is the third-lowest number of the past decade, and it continues a downward trend from the previous two years. Impediments to returns in many countries of origin include ongoing insecurity, the absence of essential services and the lack of livelihood opportunities.

Refugees were not the only forcibly displaced people struggling to access solutions. In comparison with 2019, 40 per cent fewer IDPs (3.2 million versus 5.3 million in 2019) were able to return to their place of residence, leaving millions of IDPs in protracted displacement. Almost half of all IDP returns were concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1.4 million).

Resettlement

In the early phase of the pandemic, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration put on hold resettlement departures for several months amid border and travel restrictions around the world. While these activities subsequently resumed, only 34,400 refugees were resettled to third countries in 2020, two-thirds of them assisted by UNHCR. This compares to 107,800 the year before and marks a dramatic 69 per cent decline – at a time when 1.4 million refugees are estimated to be in need of resettlement.

What Next?

With numbers having risen to more than 82 million, the question is no longer if forced displacement will exceed 100 million people – but rather when. The need for preventing conflicts and ensuring that displaced people have access to solutions has never been more pressing than now. The early months of 2021 have offered a glimmer of hope, even as conflict and displacement continue in many parts of the world. The announcement by the US Government to admit more resettled refugees – up to 62,500 in 2021 and up to 125,000 in 2022 – will provide solutions to more of the world’s most vulnerable refugees, especially if other countries follow suit. Another positive step is the Government of Colombia’s announcement in February 2021 to grant temporary protected status to more than one million Venezuelans. Many more such symbols of solidarity and responsibility-sharing are needed to fulfil the rights, needs and, where possible, hopes of the displaced people around the world – and also realize the vision of the Global Compact on Refugees.