Forced Migration

Before you read on, make sure you understand the difference between these important terms:

The most common factor for forced migration around the world is various forms of conflicts – violent or non-violent. This is often closely linked to poverty, food insecurity, violence and persecution. The causes are many and they vary from region to region. Lately, we have also been forced to add climate change to this list. Climate change produces environmental effects which may make it difficult and sometimes impossible for people to survive where they live, and we know this will result in more human migration in the future, across international borders and within countries.

While most refugee crises are local in the area of conflict, the alarming rise of refugees attempting to reach Europe between 2014 and 2018 was a brutal wakeup call for the Western world. In 2015, the peak year, 1.3 million people crossed into Europe. Some made their way over land, principally through Turkey and Albania. But the vast majority arrived by sea, crossing the Mediterranean in small and overcrowded boats that were often not seaworthy, resulting in thousands of deaths. The great majority reaching the shores of Europe in 2015 were refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war, but there were also people from Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, all countries with recent or ongoing conflicts. The number of refugees seeking asylum in Europe has since decreased, but that does not mean that the number of refugees in the world has fallen.

In 2024, 73% of all refugees came from only five countries: Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Ukraine. Let’s take a quick look at the situation in these five countries.

Syria

The Syrian civil war began in 2011 and has become the largest refugee and displacement crisis in modern times. By 2023, over 12 million people—more than half the Syrian population—had left their homes, either crossing international borders or relocating to safer areas within Syria. At least half of all migrants from Syria are children.

Most Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries and have remained in the Middle East. Turkey hosts 3.2 million refugees from Syria, the largest number of refugees hosted by any country in the world. Other major host countries include Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt, all of which have limited resources of their own.

Venezuela

Once a democracy with the strongest economy in South America and the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela's economy is now in ruins. Since 2010, corruption and failed government policies have led to the collapse of the country's economy. The infrastructure has crumbled, leaving millions of Venezuelans in poverty. There is a severe shortage of food and medicine, which has led the UN to characterize the situation as a humanitarian crisis.

By 2023, more than 7.7 million Venezuelans had fled the country, making this one of the largest refugee crises in modern history. Colombia and Peru have been the main recipients of people fleeing Venezuela, and 80% of all refugees have remained in Latin America.

Afghanistan

There has been political and social turmoil in Afghanistan ever since the Soviet intervention in 1979, with continuous waves of violence. Afghanistan has gone through a civil war, international interventions, war with the USA, and a deep conflict with the Taliban. Each conflict has resulted in an increase of refugees and internal displacement.

By the end of 2023, there were 2.6 million Afghan refugees worldwide. Of these, 90% have sought refuge in neighboring countries, primarily Iran and Pakistan. Additionally, due to poverty, instability, and violence, another 3.2 million Afghans are internally displaced.

South Sudan

After Africa’s longest running civil war, South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. However, independence did not bring peace. In 2013, a new civil war broke out, and this escalated into a full-blown humanitarian crisis.

The result was the displacement of about 4.5 million people. An estimated 2.2 million Sudanese are internally displaced. Another 2.3 million have crossed the borders to neighbouring countries, such as Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Over 83% of people who have fled the country have been women and children, with children making up 65% of the total South Sudanese refugee population.

Ukraine

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in February 2014 with the Russian invasion of Crimea and the Donbas region. On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, resulting in one of the largest refugee crises in Europe since World War II.

Due to heavy shelling and fighting, millions have been uprooted from their homes and forced to flee. By the end of 2023, the war in Ukraine had displaced an estimated 3.7 million people within the country and forced 6.5 million refugees and asylum-seekers to seek protection abroad. The countries receiving the largest numbers of refugees have been Russia (2.9 million), Poland (1.5 million), and Germany (1 million).