A record we did not want. There are almost 120 million refugees in the world, 40% of them are children

Given the wars and conflicts raging around the world, the figure could be much higher by the end of the year.

At the end of 2023, 117.3 million refugees were registered worldwide, of whom almost 40% (47 million) were children. More than 70% of people were displaced from just five countries (Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine, and South Sudan), and 40% were hosted in five countries (Iran, Turkey, Colombia, Germany, and Pakistan). In fact, most refugees go to third world countries because wealthier states are not willing to accept them.

Meanwhile, the «ever-concerned» UN predicted last year that the number of refugees would rise to 130 million by the end of 2024, but given the wars and conflicts raging in South Sudan, Ukraine and Myanmar, the figure could be much higher by the end of the year.

In total, 14 million Ukrainians – almost one-third of the country’s population – have been forced to flee their homes due to Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to report of the UN International Organization for Migration.