Number of Forced Displaced People Expected to Exceed 60 Million in 2015

World | December 19, 2015, Saturday // 11:56
Bulgaria: Number of Forced Displaced People Expected to Exceed 60 Million in 2015 UN High Commissioner for Refugees Portuguese Antonio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, speaks to the media for the last time as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, during a press conference at the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, 18 Decem

According to estimates of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the number of people subject to forced displacement will exceed 60 million for the first  time in 2015.

This means that one in every 122 people in the world has been forced to flee their home.

The latest report, which is based on projections from the first half of this year, shows increase in the number of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally-displaced persons (IDPs).

The total number of refugees globally, who a year ago amounted to 19.5 million, has as of mid-2015 exceeded the 20 million threshold for the first time since 1992.

Applications for asylum increased by 78 % (993 600) over the same period in 2014, while the number of IDPs rose by around two million to an estimated total of 34 million.

The report also shows worsening indicators in several key areas, such as the voluntary return rates and the barometer of the global state of conflict, which are at their lowest in three decades.

The number of new refugees has also increased sharply, with a total of 839 000 people in just six months.

This is the equivalent to an average rate of almost 4600 people forced to flee their countries each day.

The ongoing conflict in Syria continues to be the greatest generator of refugees and IDPs.

As of June 30, Turkey hosted the greatest number of refugees - a total of 1.84 million, while Lebanon hosted the greatest number of refugees compared to its population size - 209 per 1000 inhabitants.

In the first six months of the year, Germany was the largest recipient of new asylum claims - a total of 159 000, followed by Russia with 100 000, mainly from people fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

According to a forecast of the International Organzation for Migration (IOM), the number of refugees and migrants to have entered Europe in 2015 will exceed one million.

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Tags: UN, UNHCR, refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs, displacement, Syria, Ukraine, turkey, Lebanon, Germany, Russia, IOM, migrants

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