War, violence and other humanitarian emergencies forced about 79.5 million people out of their homes in 2019—almost double the number of people displaced a decade ago—according to a report by United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
Of the nearly 80 million people cited in the report, 26 million are refugees; an estimated 20.4 million people are in areas served by UNHCR’s mandate; another 5.6 million people are Palestine refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Speaking in Geneva on June 25, the UNHCR chief noted that although the issue of displacement affects all nations, data showed that it was poorer countries that hosted 85 per cent of those forced from their home.
Nearly seven out of 10 people of those displaced came from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar, the report added.
In the wake of the global crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN refugee agency has also reported an increase in the number of Rohingya refugees moving from Bangladesh and Myanmar, towards Malaysia and other States in South East Asia.
