& the role of UNhCr

Numbers at a glance *
General
• In 2011, an estimated 43.3 million
people worldwide were forcibly
displaced due to conflict and
persecution.
• By the end of 2011, the total
population of concern to UNHCR
was estimated at 35.4 million
people, broken down as follows:
• 10.4 million refugees;
• 895,300 asylum-seekers;
• 531,900 refugees who had repatriated
during 2011;
• 15.5 million IDPs protected/assisted
by UNHCR;
• 3.2 million IDPs who had returned to their
place of origin in 2011;
• 3.5 million stateless persons;
• 1.4 million others of concern.
• By the end of 2011, according to
UNHCR’s global estimates, there
were close to 2.7 million Afghan
refugees, accounting for one out
of four of the global refugee
population under UNHCR’s
responsibility. Iraq was the
second largest country of origin
of refugees [1.4 million], followed
by Somalia [1.1 million], Sudan
[500,000], and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo [491,500].
Refugees
• The largest refugee camp
in the world was Hagadera
camp in Dadaab, Kenya, with
138,000 inhabitants at the end
of 2011. This camp, along with
the Dagahaley and Ifo camps,
is part of the Dadaab complex
with a total population of more
than 453,000 refugees by the end
of 2011.
• In 2011, 531,900 refugees
repatriated voluntarily to their
home country, more than double
the figure in 2010 [197,600].
The main countries of return
included Libya [149,000],
Côte d’Ivoire [135,200],
Afghanistan [71,100] and
Iraq [67,100]. Overall, 14 countries
of origin each reported
the return of more than
1,000 refugees.
• Among refugees and people in
refugee-like situations, children
constituted 46 per cent of the
population. The proportion was
significantly higher among
refugees who returned home in
2011 [52%].
Asylumseekers
• During 2011, some
876,100 individual applications
for asylum or refugee status were
submitted to governments and
UNHCR offices in 171 countries
or territories. This was a 3 per
cent increase compared to the
previous year [850,300 claims].
UNHCR offices registered some
98,800 applications, equivalent to
11 per cent of all applications.
• Some 216,500 asylum-seekers
were either recognized as
refugees [172,500] or granted
a complementary form of
protection [44,000] during 2011.
• The 27 member states of the
European Union registered
277,400 asylum claims in 2011,
a 15 per cent increase compared
to 2010 [240,000]. The EU-27
together accounted for 85 per
cent of all asylum claims
in Europe.
* Figures do not include some 4.8 million Palestinian refugees registered under a separate mandate by UNRWA in Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, the West Bank and
Gaza Strip.
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