Five Takeaways from the 2022 UNHCR Global Trends Report

The number of forcibly displaced people is at an all time high in 2023, with figures exceeding 110 million humans who have been forced to flee their home from persecution, conflict, violence and human rights violations.

USA for UNHCR shared some updated information over on their blog, and I wanted to share it with you today. The numbers are hard to fathom and I feel a pain in my chest taking them in. Contributing factors like food scarcity, inflation and the climate crisis are fueling the displacement concerns to record high numbers.

According to USA for UNHCR:

1. By May of 2023, more than 110 million people were forcibly displaced 

2. More than half of all refugees and people in need of international protection came from just three countries

3. Most forcibly displaced people are hosted in neighboring or low- and middle-income countries

4. Children remain disproportionately impacted by forced displacement around the world

5. The highest number of new asylum applications ever recorded were registered in 2022

They go into detail on every number point listed above, along with infographics to explain each one. Please, if you have time today, click here to view their blog and educate yourself and others on the great need to help those who are struggling to survive a situation they aren’t responsible for.

This information is difficult to take in, so I want to leave you with some good news. USA for UNHCR states that:

“The United States of America remained the world’s largest recipient of new individual claims with 730,400 new asylum applications in 2022, nearly four times more than in 2021. The volume of new applications meant that the number of asylum-seekers awaiting a decision on their cases climbed 18 percent to 5.4 million.”