7 PART 1 INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT IN 2019 A Syrian family walks through the rubble of their neighbourhood in Homs. Photo © UNHCR/Vivian Tou’meh, March 2019 GRID 2020 8 NEW DISPLACEMENTS PART 1 Conflict and disasters triggered 33.4 million new internal Conflict continued unabated in countries such as displacements across 145 countries and territories in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2019. Most of the disaster displacements were the result (DRC) and Syria, which are also home to some of the of tropical storms and monsoon rains in South Asia largest numbers of people living in protracted displace- and East Asia and Pacific. Bangladesh, China, India and ment. Violence increased sharply in Burkina Faso, Mali the Philippines each recorded more than four million, and Niger, triggering significant new displacement. In many of them pre-emptive evacuations led by govern- countries including Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen, ments. Many evacuees, however, had their displace- disasters forced many people already displaced by ment prolonged because their homes were damaged conflict to flee for a second time. or destroyed. India 5 Figure 1: Fifty countries and territories with most new displacements in 2019 Philippines Papua New Guinea 4 Bangladesh China Burundi Albania New displacements in millions Abyei Area 3 150,000 100,000 Canada 50,000 Zimbabwe 0 2 Paraguay Dem. Rep. Congo Thailand Syria 1 Ethiopia Malaysia 0.5 Cambodia United States Somalia Kenya Afghanistan South Sudan Iran Bolivia Burkina Faso Mozambique Indonesia Chad El Salvador Yemen Nigeria Sri Lanka Sudan Myanmar Brazil Mali Japan Libya Viet Nam Central African Republic Cameroon Lao PDR Pakistan Conflict and Disasters Malawi violence 0 Nepal 50,000 100,000 Total new Total new 150,000 displacements: displacements: Uganda Iraq 8.5 million 24.9 million Congo Niger Colombia 9 Figure 2: New displacements in 2019: breakdown for conflict and disasters 922500 Earthquakes 947000 8.5m 33.4m 11.9m Total new Total new Cyclones, displacements 24500 hurricanes, 252000100 (conflict and displacements Geophysical typhoons violence) Volcanic Violence in 2019 eruptions (political) 39700 5.2m 252000 Armed 24.9m conflict Total new 13m 1.1m Other *Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond Storms with the sum of the separate figures. displacements 252000592900 (disasters) 2.7m Other storms Violence Violence (criminal) (communal) 23.9m Weather related Disasters triggered nearly three-quarters of the new trated in certain areas. Conflict displacement occurs 10m displacements recorded worldwide in 2019, accounting in pockets, including the eastern provinces of DRC, Floods for 24.9 million. More than 95 per cent were the result southern Somalia or departments on Colombia’s Pacific of weather-related hazards such as storms and floods. coast (see Figure 3). Disaster displacement often takes The overwhelming majority of conflict displacements place in highly urbanised areas such as the eastern 528500 were triggered by armed conflict, but communal seaboards of China and the US (see Figure 4). Many of 24500 violence accounted for a significant proportion of the these areas experienced various displacement events Extreme global total of 8.5 million (see Figure 2). during the year. Beyond the global picture, it is impor- 27700 temperatures 5800 Wildfires tant to shed light on these local specifics. Geolocated data on internal displacement shows that Landslides Droughts although the phenomenon is a global challenge, even within countries and regions it tends to be concen- Figure 3: Conflict displacements in 2019 by location GRID 2020 10 PART 1 922500 Earthquakes 947000 8.5m 33.4m 11.9m Total new Total new Cyclones, displacements 24500 hurricanes, 252000100 (conflict and displacements Geophysical typhoons violence) Volcanic Violence in 2019 eruptions (political) 39700 5.2m 252000 Armed 24.9m conflict Total new 13m 1.1m Other *Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond Storms with the sum of the separate figures. displacements 592900252000 (disasters) 2.7m Other storms Violence Violence (criminal) (communal) 23.9m Weather related 10m Floods 24500 528500 Extreme 27700 temperatures 5800 Wildfires Landslides Droughts Figure 4: Disaster displacements in 2019 by location 11 PEOPLE LIVING IN DISPLACEMENT Conflict and violence Five countries – Afghanistan, Colombia, DRC, Syria and Yemen – account for more than half of the global total. A record 45.7 million people were living in internal People may have been displaced by recent events, but displacement as a result of conflict and violence in 61 the figures also include those who have been living in countries and territories as of 31 December 2019 (see internal displacement for decades in countries such as Figure 5). This figure is the highest ever recorded. It is Palestine, Peru, the Philippines and Sudan (see table 3 also another reminder that internally displaced people and the online methodological annex). Many millions (IDPs) make up an overwhelming majority of people of IDPs still face significant obstacles in their efforts to have fled conflict and violence worldwide. They to bring their displacement to a sustainable end. This outnumbered refugees by 19.8 million last year.1 highlights the urgent need to strengthen our collective effort to address an ever-growing challenge. Figure 5: Total number of IDPs by conflict and violence as of 31 December 2019 More than 1,500,000 500,001-1,500,000 100,001-500,000 20,001-100,000 20,000 or less Iraq 1,555,000 Syria 6,495,000 Colombia Sudan 5,576,000 2,134,000 Nigeria 2,583,000 Afghanistan 2,993,000 Yemen 3,635,000 Somalia 2,648,000 Total number of IDPs as a result of conflict and Dem. Rep. Congo Ethiopia violence in 61 5,512,000 1,414,000 countries and territories as of 45.7 m 31 December 2019 The boundaries, names and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IDMC. 10 countries and territories with the highest number Other countries and territories of IDPs as of 31 December 2019 South Sudan 1,352,000 Mali 208,000 Countries and territories reporting less than Turkey 1,099,000 Niger 195,000 20,000 people displaced by order of Cameroon 969,000 Philippines 182,000 magnitude: 34.5 m Ukraine 730,000 Chad 176,000 Central African Republic 592,000 Kenya 162,000 Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Burkina Faso 560,000 Congo 134,000 Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Benin, Madagascar, India 470,000 Mozambique 110,000 Haiti, Togo, Russia, South Africa, Ghana, Myanmar 457,000 Pakistan 106,000 Malawi, Macedonia, Bolivia and Tunisia Syria 6,495,000 Libya 451,000 Bosnia and Herzegovina 99,000 Colombia 5,576,000 Bangladesh 427,000 Egypt 65,000 Dem. Rep. Congo 5,512,000 Azerbaijan 351,000 Peru 60,000 Yemen 3,635,000 Mexico 345,000 Thailand 41,000 Afghanistan 2,993,000 Côte d'Ivoire 303,000 Indonesia 40,000 Somalia 2,648,000 Georgia 301,000 Uganda 32,000 Nigeria 2,583,000 Honduras 247,000 Abyei Area 31,000 Sudan 2,134,000 Palestine 243,000 Sri Lanka 27,000 Iraq 1,555,000 Guatemala 242,000 Burundi 23,000 Ethiopia 1,414,000 Cyprus 228,000 Due to rounding, some totals may not correspond with the sum of the separate figures. GRID 2020 12 with 1.2 million IDPs who fled drought and floods in Disasters PART 1 recent years (see Figure 6). Hundreds of thousands more were still displaced after disasters that struck At least 5.1 million people were internally displaced by during the year in countries such as India, Ethiopia and disasters across 95 countries and territories as of 31 South Sudan. Around 33,000 people were still living December 2019 (see Figure 6). This is the first time such in displacement in Haiti a decade after the devastating a global figure has been compiled. About 90 per cent of 2010 earthquake.2 the total is made up of people displaced during the year. The remainder were displaced in previous years, and The scarcity of time-series data makes it difficult to fully were included in the estimate when evidence of their understand the scale and nature of protracted displace- continued displacement was available. The overall figure ment triggered by disasters and climate change impacts. is an underestimate, because little data is collected on Assuming that IDPs return to their homes soon after how long people are displaced for following disasters disasters may lead to the incorrect assumption that (see online methodological annex). they no longer have vulnerabilities associated with their displacement. The reality is often more complex and Afghanistan had the highest number of people still these initial estimates, however conservative, constitute displaced as a result of disasters at the end of 2019, a first step toward filling this major knowledge gap. Figure 6: Total number of IDPs by disasters as of 31 December 2019 More than 500,000 100,001-500,000 20,001-100,000 20,000 or less Iran 180,000 China 220,000 Sudan 272,000 Nigeria Philippines 143,000 364,000 India 590,000 Afghanistan 1,198,000 Ethiopia 390,000 Total number of IDPs as a result of Dem. Rep. Congo South Sudan disasters in 95 168,000 246,000 countries and territories as of 5.1 m 31 December 2019 The boundaries, names and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IDMC. 10 countries and territories with the highest number Other countries and territories of IDPs as of 31 December 2019 Mozambique 132,000 Countries and territories with less than 20,000 people displaced by order of magnitude: Niger 121,000 3.8 m Congo 107,000 Comoros, Pakistan, Malaysia, Australia, Ghana, Burundi, Papua New Guinea, Viet Nam, Canada, Indonesia 104,000 Mali, Peru, Rwanda, Lao PDR, Sri Lanka, Gambia, Russia, Syria, Sierra Leone, Cuba, Tajikistan, Central African Republic 95,000 France, Bolivia, Korea, Chile, Colombia, United Kingdom, Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar, Guatemala, Bangladesh 88,000 Cambodia, Tanzania, Angola, Uganda, Dem.