Forcibly displaced worldwide tops 100 million for the first time
- The war in Ukraine has been one of the factors propelling millions of people to flee
- Global figure must ‘serve as a wake-up call’ for more action: UNHCR chief
The war in Ukraine and other conflicts pushed the number of forcibly displaced people around the world above 100 million for the first time ever, the United Nations said.
“The number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, propelled by the war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts,” said UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency on Monday.
The “alarming” figure must shake the world into ending the conflicts forcing record numbers to flee their own homes, the UNHCR said in a statement.
UNHCR said the numbers of forcibly displaced people rose towards 90 million by the end of 2021, spurred by violence in Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Nigeria, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and since then, more than eight million people have been displaced within the country, while more than six million refugees have fled across the borders.
“One hundred million is a stark figure – sobering and alarming in equal measure. It’s a record that should never have been set,” said UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.
