The United Nations disclosed a historic milestone, with over 114 million people worldwide displaced from their homes, according to an announcement on October 25, 2023. This staggering

number reflects a growing crisis, driven by a combination of factors in the first half of 2023.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) pointed to multiple sources of displacement, including conflicts in Ukraine, Sudan, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, an enduring humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, and a blend of droughts, floods, and insecurity in Somalia.

The agency asserted that "the number of individuals forced to flee due to war, persecution, violence, and human rights abuses likely exceeded 114 million by the end of September." UN refugees chief Filippo Grandi emphasized the world's attention on the Gaza humanitarian catastrophe, yet stressed that a concerning proliferation of global conflicts is uprooting countless innocent lives.

Grandi attributed this crisis partly to the international community's inability to prevent or resolve these conflicts and called for improved cooperation to cease violence and facilitate the return of displaced individuals.

The number of displaced people worldwide surged from 108.4 million at the conclusion of the preceding year to 110 million by the end of June 2023, as reported in the UNHCR's Mid-Year Trends Report. A spokesperson for UNHCR confirmed that the 114 million estimate at the close of September marks a record figure since the agency's data collection began in 1975. Photo by I, Aotearoa, Wikimedia commons.