1. Highest Levels of Displacement on Record.
According to UNHCR, an unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forced from their homes (1). This is more than the population of Australia, Belgium, Portugal and Sri Lanka COMBINED! These levels of displacement have caused tremendous levels of disparity around the world.
2. Underage Refugees
Among the 22.5 Million Refugees around the world, over 50% of them are under the age of 18. This means that the majority of the refugees have spent their childhood or teenage years without a permanent home (2). Living in tents and make shift houses, displaced children around the world are fighting everyday for a better life.
3. Majority of Refugees Hosted in Developing Countries
While half of the world fears refugees migrating into their country, a fairly small number of developing countries carry the weight for the majority of the world. Jordan, Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon & Iran lead the way in hosting refugees. In fact as of 2016, 10 countries around the world hosted more than 50% of the refugees (3). None of them are classified as a developed nation by the IMF.
4. Camps Around The World
A village in the Yumbe district on the South Sudan border, Bidibidi became a refugee settlement in August 2016 and now hosts nearly 285,000 people, according to figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (4). The sprawling Dadaab complex 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Kenya´s border with Somalia has housed Somali refugees for around 26 years. The government of Lebanon estimates it hosts 1.5 million Syrians. Most of them live in tented settlements in the Bekaa Valley (5).
5. Refugee & IDP Spending.
UNHCR are leading the way to help Refugees & IDPs around the world. UNHCR had an annual spending of nearly US $2,000,000,000 (Billion) in 2012. This has increased to US $7,000,000,000 (Billion) for 2018 (6). This increase shows how much people around the world need our help. Furthermore, this figure does not include spending by other great NGOs such as Red Cross, Islamic Relief, IRC, MSF or Save The Children. This figure also does not include costs for countries such as Germany, Lebanon or Pakistan for hosting refugees.
Even though the spending on refugees and IDPs seems high, the problem grows as there is no permanent solution. These costs will keep on increasing as wars continue and the threat of global warning lingers. When the figure of US $7 Billion is compared to the annual world budget of military expenditure of US $1.75 Trillion (2011) (7), we need to understand that more should be done to help refugees.
How You Can Help!
Donate to an NGO that helps IDPs & Refugees around world. You can use The Blue Project to see how you can help and compare the work of different NGOs.
Spreading the word around social media and sharing the details of the Refugee Crisis.
Volunteering and giving your time to NGOs.
Calling your local politician and asking them what they are doing to help Refugees around the world.
Keeping a positive image and understanding the difficulties faced by people without homes. No one wants to leave their home and live in temporary housing. Fighting against the negative image portrayed by some people about refugees, you can truly bring about change.
"Going home after a hard day is the best feeling in the world. Imagine someone's life where everyday is hard and there is no place to go. That is when you will understand the struggles of the refugee who are without a place called home."