Forced displacement on the rise, 68.5 million affected
The number of people who faced forced displacement around the world hit a new record—up 2.9 million in 2017 from the previous year. The amount reached 68.5 million people displaced, over half of whom (52%) are under age. The average of people made to leave their homes was more than 44 thousand a day in 2017.
The figures were released Tuesday (Jun. 19) by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The new report, entitled Global Trends – Forced Displacement in 2017 draws a portrait of forced migrations across the globe—the outcome of persecution, conflict, or generalized violence.
Of the total displaced, 25.4 million were refugees, 40 millions were displaced internally, and 3.1 million were asylum seekers.
Minors
Children separated from their parents and families as a result of conflict, forced displacement, or natural disasters are particularly vulnerable to abuse. The data on unattended children are limited, as not every country keep track of this sort of information.
Preliminary statistics, considered underrated in the report, reveals over 170 thousand refugee children (under 14 years old), unattended or separated from parents, in 2017.
Developing countries
Contrary to common belief, the majority of refugees move to developing countries, which debunks the misconception that migrants are a “rich country” issue. Close to 85% of refugees under UNHCR’s mandate have gone to developing countries—nearly 17 million people.
Most of the displaced remained in nearby countries. Some four out of five refugees were found to have settled in a country next to their country of origin.
Venezuela
Over the last years, the political and economic situation facing Venezuela led more than 1.5 million Venezuelans to move to neighboring countries.
Among their destinations were Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and the US. Upwards of 111 thousand Venezuelans applied for asylum in 2017, as per official data from these countries.
Peru reported the highest number of applications (33,100), followed by the US (30 thousand), Brazil (13,900), Spain (10,600), Panama (4,400), Mexico (4 thousand), and Costa Rica (3,200).
