Fewer global refugees, more internally displaced

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) just released a new report that says that the number of global refugees is at an all-time low. In the past two years, the number of global refugees has dropped by 1.1 million – from 9.5 million in 2004 to 8.4 million today. Don't get all excited, though. The number ...

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) just released a new report that says that the number of global refugees is at an all-time low. In the past two years, the number of global refugees has dropped by 1.1 million - from 9.5 million in 2004 to 8.4 million today. Don't get all excited, though. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) within a country's borders has risen, from 5.4 million in 13 countries at the end of 2004 to 6.6 million in 16 countries today.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) just released a new report that says that the number of global refugees is at an all-time low. In the past two years, the number of global refugees has dropped by 1.1 million – from 9.5 million in 2004 to 8.4 million today. Don't get all excited, though. The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) within a country's borders has risen, from 5.4 million in 13 countries at the end of 2004 to 6.6 million in 16 countries today.

The countries with the worst IDP situation? Iraq and Sudan probably spring to mind (they are #2 and #3, respectively), but Colombia tops the list, with an estimated 2 million IDPs. NGOs believe the actual number may be well over 3 million.

Christine Y. Chen is a senior editor at Foreign Policy.

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