The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is calling for urgent global action as the world’s displacement crisis hits 122.1 million people on World Refugee Day, according to a press release. The numbers have more than doubled in just ten years as conflicts and climate disasters force families from their homes.
Four countries – Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine – account for one-third of all displaced people worldwide, and all four appear on IRC’s Emergency Watchlist of crisis zones. These same countries face cuts to humanitarian funding even as their needs grow. Many of the world’s worst hunger hotspots, including South Sudan and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, are also experiencing major displacement crises. Climate and weather-related disasters caused 70% of all new displacement in 2024, with three-quarters of that happening in poorer countries.
Despite common perceptions in wealthy nations, 73% of displaced people actually stay in low and middle-income countries, not rich ones. Most never even cross an international border – 60% remain displaced within their own countries. While refugee resettlement hit record highs last year, less than 8% of refugees who need resettlement actually got it. IRC President David Miliband said this World Refugee Day “must be a turning point rather than a commemoration,” calling for new approaches to tackle the root conflicts driving displacement.
Miliband warned there “could hardly be a worse time to cut the aid budgets on which displaced people and the countries which host them depend.” He urged policymakers to follow evidence, philanthropists to fund areas of greatest need, and civil society to stand against dehumanization and division.
