The Guardian
Refugee numbers give us a unique insight into violence and conflict around the world. Find out where refugees come from – and where they go
New arrivals from Somalia wait for registration at Ifo camp in Dadaab, Kenya in May 2010. Photograph: Riccardo Gangale/UNHCR
Where Refugees Come From and Where They Go |
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| Country of Origin | Host CountryRefugees per 1,000 People | |
| Japan | 152 | 0.02 |
| Congo | 476,693 | 2.52 |
| Kenya | 8,602 | 9.95 |
| Nigeria | 15,642 | 0.06 |
| South Africa | 380 | 1.15 |
| Zimbabwe | 24,089 | 0.35 |
| Belgium | 83 | 1.67 |
| Britain | 153 | 3.84 |
| Italy | 50 | 0.93 |
| Brazil | 994 | 0.02 |
| Nicaragua | 1,431 | 0.01 |
| Peru | 5,834 | 0.04 |
| USA | 3.026 | 0.85 |
The latest refugee statistics are out.
The number of people forcibly displaced worldwide has reached 43.7m people, the highest number in 15 years, according to a report published today to mark World Refugee Day.
The annual ‘Global Trends’ report released by the UN’s High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) shows a rise of internally displaced people (IDP) – up to 27.5m at the end of 2010. However, it does also report a slight decrease in the number of refugees – down to 15.4m from 15.6m at the end of 2009.
Afghanistan continues to be the prime country with the most refugees under UNHCR responsibility across the globe. There are three million Afghan refugees, one out of three of the total worldwide number. Countries facing conflict and disruption feature heavily in the report and a big trend seen is the number of refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries.
The UNHCR says that “by the end of 2010, three quarters of the world’s
refugees were residing in a country neighbouring their own” – neighbouring Iran were the refuge for over 2.7m Afghans in 2010.
As seen in last years report, developing countries host four fifths of the world’s refugees. Pakistan, Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic are the top hosting countries globally for refugees.
So what key figures does the report bring into focus?
- Pakistan hosted the largest number of refugees in relation to the size of its economy with 710 refugees per $1 of GDP (PPP) per capita. The Democratic Republic of the Cong and Kenya came in second and third in the report
- 49% of persons of concern to UNHCR were women and girls. They also make up 47% of refugees
- Afghanistan, Somalia were the three major source countries of refugees in 2010
- 15,500 individual asylum applications were lodged by unaccompanied or separated children throughout 69 countries in 2010
