Refugees: UNHCR: 122 million displaced people – many Syria returnees

According to the new world refugee report, there are around 122 million displaced persons worldwide who had to flee violence and conflicts from their homeland. The number was barely higher at the end of April than a year earlier with 120 million (plus 1.6 percent), as reported by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Geneva.

However, the last lower increase in the number is not due to major improvements in the crisis countries worldwide such as Sudan, Myanmar or Ukraine. Rather, almost two million Syrians have returned to their homeland since the Fall of the Assad regime in Syria in early December 2024. More than 500,000 of them were previously abroad. The others had been expelled in their own country.

UNHCR boss Filippo Grandi described this as a “glimmer of hope”. The UNHCR expects that another million Syrians from abroad will decrease home in the course of the year. “The main causes of displacement are still major conflicts such as Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine as well as the continuing inability to end the fights,” said the UNHCR.

Number of returnees in 2024 significantly higher

Also in the course of 2024 a good 50 percent more people had returned home than in the previous year, a total of 9.8 million. Among them were 1.6 million who had previously fled abroad. This is the highest number in this category in more than two decades, according to the UNHCR. The other returnees had been driven out in their own country. In this category it was the second highest number of returnees since the beginning of the records. In 2023, 6.1 million people had returned.

However, many people find their homeland in ruins and the home countries could offer little support for painted development aid, the report says. “That means returnees may have no choice but to go again,” said the UNHCR.

Where most refugees live

If you compare the number of displaced persons for the year 2024 in 2023, it rose by 7 million to 123.2 million. Compared to 2015, the number of people who at least temporarily lost their homeland have almost doubled. What is meant are people who have found refuge elsewhere in their own country and those who fled across the borders. Around 60 percent are inland -displaced. Around two thirds of the others live in neighboring countries of their homeland according to UNHCR.

Development Minister: Germany helps

“They are countries such as Jordan, Lebanon, Ethiopia or Kenya who shoulder the main load and do enormous things,” said development minister Reem Alabali Radovan (SPD). “With the German development cooperation, we support the recording countries so that they can supply refugees well and offer them perspectives.” That is a question of humanity and solidarity, but this work is also in the interests of Germany. “Nothing reduces escape better than opportunities and perspectives on site.”

The largest group of displaced people are no longer Syrians, but Sudaneses. The power struggle between the government Army and the Miliz RSF drove a total of 14.3 million people there. Syrians were the second largest group with 13.5 million, followed by Afghans (10.3 million) and Ukrainians (8.8 million).