Mid-Year Trends 2015
Pelagea, 73, fled Donetsk in August 2014after life under
shelling in her village became unbearable. She is one of
25,000 internally displaced persons who have sought safety in
Mariupol. Life in a collective centre is not easy, with cramped
quarters and communal bathrooms and kitchens, but “we help
each other,” she says. The IDPs rely on the generous support of
the local Ukrainian community, which donates food, clothing
and blankets.
2
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
I
INTRODUCTION
Conflict, persecution, generalized violence and violations of human
rights continued to cause forced displacement around the world during
the first six months of 2015. Fighting across parts of the Middle East
and sub-Saharan Africa have continued into the first half of the year,
resulting in millions of individuals being forced to flee either within
or outside their country.
© U N H C R / G . K o tschy
B
y the end of 2014, 59.5 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a
result of persecution, conflict, generalized
violence, or human rights violations.(1) An
updated figure on global forced displacement was not available at the time of writing this
report. As the number of refugees, asylum-seekers,
and internally displaced persons (IDPs) worldwide
continued to grow in 2015, it is likely that this figure has far surpassed 60 million.(2)
During the first half of 2015, UNHCR offices
reported that at least five million individuals were
newly displaced. Some 4.2 million were newly displaced within their own country, while 839,000
were displaced across international borders. This
compares to 5.5 million newly displaced persons
during the same period in 2014.
In addition, in 2015 Europe has experienced exceptionally large numbers of refugees and migrants
arriving via the Mediterranean Sea, a majority of
whom are from the Syrian Arab Republic and other
conflict-affected countries and regions. As most of
these arrivals have occurred since June 2015, their
numbers are only partly captured in this report.
Population of concern
to UNHCR
By mid-2015, the total population of concern to UNHCR stood at an
unprecedented 58.0 million persons. This includes persons who are
forcibly displaced (notably refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs), those who
have found a durable solution (returnees), as well stateless persons, most
of whom have never been forcibly displaced.
This categorization is neither identical to nor synonymous with the global
number of forcibly displaced persons worldwide (59.5 million by the end
of 2014). It not only includes refugees and IDPs beyond UNHCR’s mandate
but also excludes returnees and stateless persons.
A detailed breakdown of UNHCR’s population of concern by category
and country is provided in Annex Table 1 on page 16.
•
This report analyses displacement trends during
the first half of 2015, based on statistics collected
by UNHCR, governments, and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs). Unless otherwise specified,
figures are limited to events occurring up to 30
June 2015. The statistics included in this report
should be considered provisional and subject to
change, especially with regard to asylum trends. n
(1) Some 19.5 million persons were refugees: 14.4 million under UNHCR’s mandate and 5.1 million Palestinian refugees registered by UNRWA. The global figure
included 38.2 million IDPs and 1.8 million asylum-seekers. See 2014 Statistical Yearbook at http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4a02afce6.html.
(2) An updated figure on global forced displacement will be available in June 2016, on the occasion of the release of the 2015 Global Trends report.
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
3
II
REFUGEES
Refugee population under UNHCR’s
mandate | 1990 - 2015*
Fig. 1
20
able to return to their country of origin has trended
downward, indicating that many refugees will continue to reside in exile for years to come.
As a result of observed trends, sub-Saharan
Africa is host to the largest number of refugees
(4.1 million), followed by Asia and Pacific (3.8 million), Europe (3.5 million), and the Middle East and
North Africa (3.0 million). The Americas hosted
753,000 refugees at mid-2015 [see Table 1 below].
(in millions)
18
16
14
12
10
By Origin
8
The top 10 source countries of refugees recorded
at mid-2015 remained unchanged compared to the
beginning of the year. However, individual rankings within these top 10 did change during the reporting period.
The Syrian Arab Republic remained the largest
source country of refugees, with a refugee population of 4.2 million by mid-2015. This figure has
increased dramatically, rising from below 20,000
at the end of 2010. As such, starting in mid-2014,
the Syrian Arab Republic replaced Afghanistan as
the main source country of refugees worldwide,
a rank Afghanistan had previously held for more
than three decades.
The Syrian refugee population grew by more
than 300,000 people during the reporting period. Surrounding countries continue to be impacted heavily by the crisis, with the number
of registered Syrians in Turkey (1.8 million),(4)
Lebanon (1.2 million), Jordan (628,800), Iraq
(251,300), and Egypt (131,900) remaining high.
Outside the immediate region, Germany was hosting 66,000 Syrian refugees at mid-2015, up from
41,000 six months earlier.
The Afghan refugee population remained relatively stable at about 2.6 million. The process to
renew Proof of Registration cards for Afghans in
Pakistan ended in March 2015. This exercise led
to a net increase in the number of Afghan refugees
recorded of about 80,000 persons, including some
10,000 new-borns, though this was partly offset by
the voluntary return of some 46,000 Afghan refu-
6
4
2
–
‘90
‘95
‘00
‘05
‘10
‘15
* 1990-2014 (end-year); 2015 (mid-year)
The total number of refugees(3) has increased significantly and consistently over the past four years.
Starting from 10.4 million at the end of 2011, the
number increased to 10.5 million in 2012, to 11.7
million in 2013, and finally to 14.4 million by the
end of 2014. By mid-2015, it had reached an estimated 15.1 million, its highest level in 20 years.
Within three and a half years, then, the global refugee population grew by 4.7 million persons – some
45 per cent.
The main contributing factor to this trend has
been the war in the Syrian Arab Republic. Excluding that country, the increase from the end of 2011
to mid-2015 would have been only half a million
refugees (+5%). Clearly, the devastating effect of
the Syrian conflict is being felt far beyond its neighbouring countries.
In addition to the Syrian crisis, the outbreak of
armed conflicts or deterioration of ongoing ones
in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, and
Ukraine, among others, have contributed to prevailing trends. Meanwhile, the number of refugees
(3) For the purposes of this report, unless otherwise stated, the term “refugees” refers to refugees under UNHCR’s mandate, and does not include Palestinian
refugees registered with UNRWA.
(4) At the time of writing this report (December 2015), the number of Syrians registered in Turkey was approaching 2.2 million.
4
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
Map 1
Who is hosting the world’s refugees? | end-2010
Germany
Syrian Arab Rep.
Jordan
Pakistan
Islamic Rep.
of Iran
1,000,000
500,000
100,000
Map 2
Who is hosting the world’s refugees? | mid-2015
Turkey
Lebanon
Pakistan
Islamic Rep.
of Iran
Ethiopia
1,000,000
500,000
100,000
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do
not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
A country is listed if it featured among the top-5 per year.
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
5
Refugee populations by UNHCR regions | 2015
TABLE 1
UNHCR regions
Refugees
- Central Africa and Great Lakes
- East and Horn of Africa
- Southern Africa
- West Africa
Total Africa *
Americas
Asia and Pacific
Europe
Middle East and North Africa
Total
Start-2015
Mid-2015
People in
refugee-like
situations
People in
refugee-like
situations
Total refugees
Refugees
Change (total)
Total refugees
Absolute
%
625,000
2,568,000
174,700
252,000
3,619,700
37,600
33,400
71,000
662,600
2,601,400
174,700
252,000
3,690,700
865,100
2,713,700
179,800
258,900
4,017,500
13,700
33,600
47,300
878,800
2,747,300
179,800
258,900
4,064,800
216,200
145,900
5,100
6,900
374,100
32.6%
5.6%
2.9%
2.7%
10.1%
509,300
3,568,500
3,095,000
2,898,500
13,691,000
259,700
280,100
18,200
65,400
694,400
769,000
3,848,600
3,113,200
2,963,900
14,385,400
501,000
3,506,600
3,475,300
2,941,100
14,441,500
251,900
278,400
14,300
64,200
656,100
752,900
3,785,000
3,489,600
3,005,300
15,097,600
-16,100
-63,600
376,400
41,400
712,200
-2.1%
-1.7%
12.1%
1.4%
5.0%
Note
* Excluding North Africa.
gees from Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Both countries continued to host the majority of Afghan refugees, with 1.5 million and 951,000 persons, respectively. As such, Afghanistan remained
the second-largest source country for refugees.
Somalia was the third-largest source country of
refugees worldwide and the largest in sub-Saharan Africa, with the number of Somali refugees
remaining stable at 1.1 million. Kenya (418,900),
Yemen (249,000), and Ethiopia (247,300) were the
main host countries of these refugees.
Fig. 2
Where do the world’s refugees
come from?
(in millions)
Syrian Arab Rep.
Afghanistan
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
By Country of Asylum
Dem. Rep.
of Congo
Central
African Rep.
mid-2015
end-2014
Myanmar
mid-2014
end-2013
Eritrea
Iraq
0.0
6
The ongoing conflict in South Sudan forced tens
of thousands of individuals to flee to neighbouring countries during the first half of the year. As
a result, the estimated number of South Sudanese
refugees grew from 616,200 at the beginning of
2015 to 744,100 at the end of June 2015. This made
South Sudan the fourth-largest source country of
refugees worldwide. Ethiopia (275,400), Sudan
(190,700), and Uganda (179,600) were hosting the
largest populations of South Sudanese refugees.
The number of Sudanese refugees dropped from
665,900 at the beginning of the year to 640,900
at mid-2015, making this the fifth-largest source
country of refugees at mid-2015. This decline is
largely due to a biometric verification exercise undertaken in Chad, where records of many refugees
have either been closed or deactivated, assuming
these refugees had left Chad.
Other important source countries of refugees included the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (535,300), the Central African Republic
(470,600), Myanmar (458,400), Eritrea (383,900),
and Iraq (377,700).
0.5
1.0
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
By mid-2015, refugees resided in 169 countries or
territories. Sudan now features among the top 10
refugee-hosting countries, having replaced China.
This is largely due to the conflict in South Sudan,
which forced tens of thousands to flee to Sudan, as
outlined above. With this inclusion, half of the top
10 refugee-hosting countries are now located in
sub-Saharan Africa, with four of them being least
developed countries.
With 1.84 million refugees in its territory,
Turkey remained the country hosting the largest
number of refugees at mid-2015. This is a significant turnaround, as until 2012, Turkey did not
feature among even the top 20 refugee-hosting
countries. At the end of the reporting period, Syrians accounted for 1.81 million or 98 per cent of all
registered refugees in the country, most of them
located in urban agglomerations. In addition, the
number of Iraqi refugees registered with UNHCR
in Turkey stood at 20,600.
Pakistan hosted the second-largest number of
refugees worldwide with 1.5 million individuals,
virtually all of them from Afghanistan. The renewal of some 80,000 Proof of Registration cards for
Afghan refugees was partly offset by the voluntary
return of around 44,700 Afghans from Pakistan to
their country.
Lebanon remained the third-largest refugeehosting country, with 1.2 million refugees under
UNHCR’s mandate. As in Turkey, the overwhelming majority (99%) of refugees in Lebanon originated from the Syrian Arab Republic. This was in
addition to 7,300 Iraqi refugees.
The number of refugees in the Islamic Republic
of Iran remained virtually unchanged from the beginning of 2015, at 982,000 at mid-year. This figure included 951,000 Afghan refugees and 28,300
Iraqi refugees. As such, the Islamic Republic of
Iran remained the fourth-largest refugee-hosting
country worldwide.
The refugee population in Ethiopia continued to
grow in 2015, reaching 702,500 by mid-year. This
compares to 659,500 six months earlier and is the
result of an influx of South Sudanese and Eritrean
refugees, among others. Ethiopia remained the
fifth-largest refugee-hosting country worldwide,
with the largest such populations originating from
South Sudan (275,400), Somalia (247,300), Eritrea
(139,300), and Sudan (36,500).
The number of refugees in Jordan under
UNHCR’s mandate increased by about 10,000 persons to 664,100 at mid-year, most of whom originated from the Syrian Arab Republic. The refugee
population in Kenya remained virtually unchanged
at 552,300. As such, Jordan and Kenya remained
the sixth- and seventh-largest refugee-hosting
countries, respectively.
With renewed conflicts in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, tens
of thousands of individuals fled these two countries
to Uganda during the first part of the year. As a
consequence, Uganda hosted a new all-time high
for the country of 428,400 refugees.
Fig. 3
Major refugee-hosting countries
(in millions)
*Turkey
Pakistan
Lebanon
Iran
(Islamic Rep. of)
Ethiopia
Jordan
Kenya
mid-2015
end-2014
Uganda
mid-2014
end-2013
Chad
Sudan
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
2.0
* Refugee figure for Syrians in Turkey is a Government estimate.
Other important refugee-hosting countries at
mid-year were Chad and Sudan, with 420,800
and 356,200 refugees, respectively. The top 10
refugee-hosting countries combined hosted close
to 8.7 million or 57 per cent of all refugees under
UNHCR’s mandate.
New Refugee Arrivals
More than 839,000 persons were newly displaced
across international borders during the first half of
2015, the overwhelming majority of whom found
refuge in neighbouring countries or elsewhere in
the immediate region. This figure refers to refugees who have been recognized on a prima facie
basis as well as those who have been newly registered and granted temporary protection. An
additional 221,000 persons were granted refugee
status or a complementary form of protection following refugee status determination during the
reporting period.
Armed conflict in both the Syrian Arab
Republic and Ukraine predominantly accounted
for this new displacement, as half of the 839,000
persons originated from one of these two countries. While more than 318,000 Syrians were
newly registered during the first half of 2015,
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
7
Number of refugees per 1 USD GDP (PPP)
per capita | mid-2015
469
Ethiopia
Pakistan
322
Uganda
216
Dem. Rep.
of Congo
208
Chad
193
Kenya
186
135
South Sudan
117
Afghanistan
102
Cameroon
Contributions of Host Countries
94
Turkey
mostly in neighbouring countries, more than
97,000 Ukrainians were granted temporary protection in the Russian Federation.
Excluding the Syrian Arab Republic and Ukraine,
the vast majority of newly displaced persons originated from countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The
outbreak of violence in Burundi combined with renewed and ongoing fighting in the Central African
Republic, South Sudan, Nigeria, and the eastern part
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have contributed most significantly to the high level of new
displacement during the first half of the year.
Fig. 5
Number of refugees per 1,000
inhabitants | mid-2015
209
Lebanon
Jordan
90
51
Nauru
31
Chad
Turkey
24
South Sudan
22
Mauritania
19
Djibouti
17
Sweden
15
Malta
15
(5) That is the size of a refugee population compared to the Gross Domestic
Product (Purchasing Power Parity) – the GDP (PPP) – per capita or to the
national population size.
(6) See http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm for a list
of countries included under each region.
8
More than 140,400 Burundians were recognized
as refugees on a prima facie basis during the reporting period, notably in the United Republic of Tanzania (69,400), Rwanda (58,700), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11,700). Similarly, an
estimated 118,800 South Sudanese sought refuge
in neighbouring countries during the first half of
2015, mainly in Sudan (72,500), Ethiopia (23,800),
and Uganda (17,500). Other countries in sub-Saharan Africa affected by armed conflict or violence
– and thus source countries of new displacement
– during the reporting period included the Central
African Republic (56,200), Nigeria (31,200), and
Sudan (22,100).
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
Two main measures – economic and non-economic (5)
– are used as a proxy to evaluate the contributions
of host countries with respect to refugee burdensharing. Using both measures, developing countries appeared to be shouldering a significant proportion of this burden.
According to the economic measure, the top 10
countries are all located in developing regions.(6)
Similarly, according to the non-economic measure,
of the top 10 countries, the first eight are developing nations, while those ranked 9th and 10th are
industrialized countries.
Evaluating the impact of refugees by per cap(7)
ita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in terms of
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP),(8) Ethiopia ranked
at the top with 469 refugees per 1 USD. This indicates that Ethiopia is the largest refugee-hosting
country in sub-Saharan Africa in both absolute
and relative terms. With 322 refugees per 1 USD
GDP (PPP) per capita, Pakistan ranked second,
followed by Uganda (216), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (208), Chad (193), and Kenya
(186) [see Figure 4].
Examining the number of refugees per 1,000
inhabitants changes the rankings. Under this criterion, the impact of the Syria crisis is more visible, with Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey among the
top five countries. With 209 refugees per 1,000
inhabitants, Lebanon ranked at the top of the list,
followed by Jordan with 90 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants, Nauru (51), Chad (31), Turkey (24), and
South Sudan (22) [see Figure 5]. n
(7) Source for national populations: United Nations, Population Division, World
Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision, New York, 2015. For the purpose of
this analysis, the 2014 estimates have been taken into account.
(8) Source for GDP (PPP): International Monetary Fund, World Economic
Outlook Database, October 2015 (accessed 10 November 2015).
© U N H C R / E . Ou
Fig. 4
Children play video games in a makeshift arcade in the Arbat campfor internally displaced persons near
Sulaymaniya, Iraq in June 2015. The Arbat IDP camp is one of the most overcrowded in Iraq. Initially designed as a
transit centre for only 700 families, the camp now houses close to 3,000 people. Solutions are nowhere in sight,
water is in short supply, electricity is intermittent and the sanitation is inadequate.
III
ASYLUM-SEEKERS
Close to one million individual asylum applications
were registered in 155 countries or territories during
the first half of 2015, significantly more than during the corresponding period of 2014 (558,000). (9)
An estimated 12 per cent of these claims were registered at ‘second instance’, including with courts
and other appellate bodies. UNHCR offices registered 115,200 individual asylum applications, out of
the provisional total of 993,600 (12%).
New Individual Asylum
Applications Registered
During the first half of the year, persons of at
least 190 nationalities submitted new asylum applications in 155 asylum countries or territories
around the world.
(9) The 2014 figure excludes asylum applications registered with South Africa’s
Department of Home Affairs, in the absence of such data provided by the
Government.
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
9
Asylum statistics in Europe:
a word of caution
The asylum figures for Europe quoted in this report should be treated
with caution. The statistical picture of the number of people seeking
international protection in Europe is partially distorted because of the
reported instances of the same individual being registered as asylumseeker multiple times across the continent. The actual number of
individuals lodging asylum applications in Europe is thus likely to be lower
than described in this section.
•
At 159,900, Germany received the highest number of new asylum applications worldwide during
the first six months of 2015. This compares to
173,100 asylum applications registered by the German authorities for the whole of 2014. At current
trend, Germany is very likely to hit an all-time
high in 2015. Historical data available since 1953
show that the previous record dates back to 1992,
when 432,100 asylum applications were recorded
by Germany [see Figure 6].(10)
The sharp increase during the reporting period is
attributable mainly to a higher number of individuals
from Albania, Afghanistan, Iraq, Serbia and Kosovo
(S/RES/1244 (1999)),(11) and the Syrian Arab Republic
requesting international protection. Syrian asylum
applications in Germany more than doubled from
12,100 in the first half of 2014 to 32,500 one year
later. On average, one out of every five asylum claims
in Germany was made by a Syrian national.
Fig. 6
Germany was followed by the Russian Federation, which registered 100,000 asylum applications.
This figure includes 720 applications for refugee
status and 99,300 for temporary asylum. The outbreak of conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2014 continued to have a major impact on these figures,
with 98,500 or 98 per cent of claims in the Russian
Federation being lodged by Ukrainians.
The United States of America was the third-largest single recipient of new asylum claims during the
first six months of 2015, with an estimated 78,200 (12)
asylum claims. This constituted a 44 per cent increase (+23,800 claims) compared to the same period the previous year. Asylum-seekers from Honduras (+209%), El Salvador (+125%), Guatemala
(+102%), and Mexico (+12%), among others, accounted for this increase – half of all asylum claims
in the country were lodged by nationals of these
countries, compared to 42 per cent for the whole of
2014. This proportion has consistently increased in
recent years, reflecting the deteriorating situation
as a result of violence generated by transnational
organized crime, gang activity, and drug cartels in
some parts of the region. Overall, El Salvador was
(10) The 1992 and earlier figures include a sizeable number of repeat
applications registered in Germany.
(11) References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security
Council Resolution 1244 (1999) and henceforth will be referred to in this
document as Kosovo (S/RES/1244 (1999)).
(12) Estimated number of individuals based on the number of new cases
(40,963) and multiplied by 1.393 to reflect the average number of individuals
per case (Source: US Department of Homeland Security), and the number
of new defensive asylum requests lodged with the Executive Office of
Immigration Review (21,136 individuals).
New asylum applications registered in Germany | 1953-2015
450,000
400,000
350,000
300,000
© U N H C R / S . R ich
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
19
53
19
60
19
70
19
80
19
90
* First half 2015. The 1992 and earlier figures include a sizeable number of repeat applications.
10
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
20
00
* 2
01
5
© UNHCR / I. Szabó
Sisters Salma, 10 and Saima 7, look after baby Moustafawhile their
parents arrange their long-awaited return home to Afghanistan. Their
family fled to Pakistan 35 years ago, and the children have never seen
Afghanistan. They have big hopes for the future.
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
11
Main destination countries for new
asylum-seekers | First half 2015
Fig. 7
300
(x1,000)
2014 (total)
First half 2015
250
200
150
100
50
0
s
y
ia
d.
ry
ca
ey
te
an
Fe
fri S e r b
ta unga Turk
n
A
S
a
*
h
d
H
G
s si
ut
te
Ru U n i
So
* Serbia and Kosovo (S/RES/1244 (1999))
m
er
Ita
ly
Fra
nc
e
Au
str
ia
the main country of origin of asylum-seekers to the
United States of America with 8,700 applications,
followed by Guatemala (7,700), Mexico (7,500),
Honduras (7,400), and China (7,300).
Hungary ranked fourth with 65,400 new asylum
applications registered during the first half of 2015.
This constituted a 13-fold increase compared to
the first semester of 2014 (4,800 new applications)
and a 79 per cent increase compared to the second
(36,500). A large number of those applying for asylum in Hungary move onward to other countries
in the European Union, where they are typically
registered again as asylum-seekers.
A sharp shift in the composition and dynamics of registered asylum applications in Hungary
was observed during the reporting period. The
first quarter of 2015 was dominated by asylum
applicants originating from Serbia and Kosovo
(S/RES/1244 (1999)), with more than 22,800 persons lodging such a claim, yet this figure dropped
to less than 500 during the second quarter.
In contrast, the second quarter in Hungary witnessed a soaring number of asylum applicants from
Afghanistan (13,600 claims, up from 4,000 during
the first quarter) and the Syrian Arab Republic
(8,400, up from 2,400). These two countries together accounted for two-thirds of all asylum applications in Hungary during the second quarter.
Overall, Serbia and Kosovo (S/RES/1244 (1999))
was the main place of origin for asylum applicants
in Hungary during the reporting period (23,300
12
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
applications), followed by Afghanistan (17,600), the
Syrian Arab Republic (10,800), and Iraq (3,200).
As of December 2015, close to 2.2 million registered Syrian refugees in Turkey benefitted from the
Government’s Temporary Protection Regime. In
addition, Turkey continued to witness high numbers of individual asylum applications registered
with UNHCR. In Turkey, the Office registered
87,800 new asylum applications during 2014, the
highest figure on record and almost double that
of 2013 (44,800 claims). During the first half of
2015, more than 43,600 asylum applications were
registered by UNHCR, making Turkey the fourthlargest recipient of individual asylum applications
worldwide.(13) With 25,700 asylum claims, Iraqis accounted for more than half of these applications.
Other important source countries of asylum applications were Afghanistan (12,100 claims) and the
Islamic Republic of Iran (4,300).
Other places receiving large numbers of asylum
applicants were South Africa (37,800 new asylum
claims), Serbia and Kosovo (S/RES/1244 (1999))
(37,400), Italy (30,100), and France (29,800).
During the first half of 2015, UNHCR’s offices
registered 110,000 new individual applications for
refugee status and another 5,200 on appeal or for
review. The office in Turkey received the largest
number of new requests (43,600), followed by Jordan (14,100), Lebanon (10,400), Egypt (8,800), and
Malaysia (8,800). Of all UNHCR offices receiving
asylum applications during the period under review, these five operations registered 78 per cent of
new claims recorded by the organization.
By Origin
As the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic entered
its fifth year, Syrians remained the main group
of asylum-seekers worldwide, with 114,500 new
asylum applications registered during the first six
months of 2015. This compares to 59,600 new asylum applications registered during the corresponding period of 2014. Syrians lodged asylum claims in
104 countries or territories worldwide, compared
to 96 a year earlier. About two-thirds (67%) or
76,700 of these claims were registered in five places:
Germany (32,500), Serbia and Kosovo (S/RES/1244
(1999)) (18,400), Hungary (10,800), Austria (7,700),
and Sweden (7,200). Provisional data indicate that
recognition rates for Syrians in most countries are
(13) This figure excludes the more than 250,000 Syrians who were registered by
the Government of Turkey during the first half of the year.
around or above 90 per cent, reflecting this group’s
significant need for international protection.
As the conflict in eastern Ukraine continued into
2015, Ukrainians became the second-largest group
of asylum-seekers, with 111,900 new asylum applications registered during the first half of 2015.
Most of these claims were recorded in the Russian
Federation (98,500), Germany (2,600), and Italy
(2,400). This compares to 20,300 new asylum applications one year earlier.
Afghanistan was the third-largest country of
origin for asylum-seekers in the first half of 2015.
Afghans lodged some 72,100 asylum claims during the reporting period, significantly more than
during the first half of 2014 (26,500). Hungary
became an important recipient of Afghan asylum
applications, with 17,600 new claims registered
during the first half of 2015, an almost ninefold
increase over the first half of 2014 (2,000 applications) and roughly triple the number registered
during the second halfof 2014 (6,500). While
Turkey remained an important destination for
Afghans, with 12,100 asylum claims registered
during the reporting period, Serbia and Kosovo
(S/RES/1244 (1999)) became a major hotspot, as
the Serbian authorities registered 10,900 Afghan
asylum applications, compared to 420 one year
earlier. Similar to Hungary, a large number of
those applying for asylum in Serbia and Kosovo
(S/RES/1244 (1999)) move onward to other European countries, where they are typically registered
again as asylum-seekers.
Other important places of origin of asylumseekers were Serbia and Kosovo (S/RES/1244
(1999)) (70,200), Iraq (65,800), the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (29,300), Albania (26,100),
and Eritrea (22,300).
Some 2.3 million asylum applications were
pending by mid-2015, about 219,100 more than at
the beginning of the year. The largest backlog of
registered asylum applications by June 2015 was
in South Africa, with an estimated 798,100 applications. South Africa was followed by Germany
(311,600 pending asylum applications), the United
States of America (224,500), Turkey (145,300), and
Sweden (56,100). n
IV
INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS
Updated information on the global number of IDPs
due to armed conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations was not available at the time
of writing this report.(14) The IDP populations reported in this document are limited to conflict-generated IDPs or persons in an IDP-like situation, to
whom the agency extends protection or assistance.
Hence, UNHCR’s statistics do not provide a comprehensive picture of global internal displacement.
According to UNHCR offices in 26 countries,
the number of IDPs protected/assisted by UNHCR,
including those in IDP-like situations,(15) stood at an
estimated 34.0 million at mid-2015. This compares
to 32.2 million at the start of the year.
During the first half of the year, at least 4.2
million persons were newly displaced by conflict
and violence within their countries, compared to
4.1 million in the corresponding period of 2014.
Yemen reported the largest number of newly displaced persons (933,500),(16) followed by Ukraine
(559,000), the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(558,000), Nigeria (378,500), Iraq (366,500), and
Pakistan (309,200).
The number of newly displaced persons
within the Syrian Arab Republic was not available for the first six months of 2015. However,
with 7.6 million IDPs, the Syrian Arab Republic remained the country with the highest such
number worldwide. Despite security concerns,
UNHCR was able to assist an estimated 1.3 million of these individuals by mid-2015.
According to the Government, 6.5 million individuals were registered as IDPs in Colombia at
mid-year. Other countries where significant IDP
populations were protected or assisted by UNHCR
included Iraq (4.0 million), Sudan (2.3 million),
(14) The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimated the global number
of persons displaced by armed conflict, generalized violence, or human rights
violations at the end of 2014 to be some 38.2 million.
(15) As in Myanmar (35,000), South Sudan (105,000), and Sudan (77,300).
(16) The estimated number of IDPs in Yemen had reached 2.3 million at the
time of writing this report.
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
13
IDPs protected/assisted by UNHCR
| 2000-2015 (end-year)
(in millions)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
00
20
* Mid-2015
20
05
20
10
*2
01
5
(17) Source: OCHA
V
STATELESS PERSONS
The collection of accurate statistics on stateless persons has been and continues to be a challenge for
all stakeholders. While the global number of stateless persons is estimated to be at least 10 million,
available data in this report are limited to some 3.9
million persons in 78 countries or territories. This
compares to the 3.5 million individuals reported at
the end of 2014. This increase is mainly the result
of the newly reported figure of around 300,000
persons in Zimbabwe, an estimation that largely
concerns a migrant population that arrived from
neighbouring countries as farm and mine workers
during the colonial period. Multiple changes in the
nationality legislation of Zimbabwe have negatively
impacted the nationality status of this population.
In contrast, a downward revision in the stateless-
ness figure was reported in the Dominican Republic. This revised estimate of 133,770 stateless persons includes only individuals born in the country
to parents who were both born abroad, and it does
not include individuals born in the country to one
foreign-born and one Dominican-born parent, as
the previously reported figure of 210,000 did. This
estimate does not include subsequent generations
of individuals of foreign descent, as there is no reliable population data available on groups other than
first-generation individuals. As such, this estimate
does not include all persons without nationality in
the country. It will be adjusted as official data becomes available on the number of individuals who
have found an effective nationality solution under
Law 169-14. n
VI
RESETTLEMENT
During the first six months of the year, UNHCR
assisted some 33,400 refugees in 76 countries or
territories to depart for resettlement. This is a decline of about 3,600 individuals compared to the
14
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
corresponding period of 2014 (37,000). The top
five countries that reported significant UNHCRassisted resettlement departures were Malaysia
(5,700), Turkey (3,800), Thailand (3,100), Nepal
© U N H C R / B . L o yseau
Fig. 8
35
Pakistan (1.6 million), South Sudan (1.5 million), the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (1.5 million),(17)
Nigeria (1.4 million), and Ukraine (1.4 million).
Afghanistan too has seen a surge in internal
displacement of some 50 per cent compared to 18
months ago as conflict intensified, reaching a figure
of 948,000 IDPs by mid-2015.
An estimated 1.4 million IDPs returned to their
areas of origin during the first half of 2015, about
200,000 fewer than the corresponding period in
2014. Important IDP returns were reported by
Pakistan and the Philippines with 336,600 and
334,900 individuals, respectively. Other countries
that reported significant numbers of returned IDPs
during the reporting period included the Democratic Republic of the Congo (193,800), South
Sudan (148,500), the Central African Republic
(138,800), and Nigeria (122,700). n
Burundian refugees sheltered in the Nyaragusu refugee campin the
United Republic of Tanzania. In May 2015, they were transferred by boat
on Lake Tanganyika from the Tanzanian border town of Kagunga, where
the living conditions were dire, to Nyaragusu further south, via Kigoma.
(2,600), and Lebanon (2,400). These five countries
combined accounted for about half of all assisted resettlement departures during the reporting period.
Individuals holding some 62 different nationalities benefited from UNHCR’s resettlement programme during the first half of 2015. Refugees
originating from Myanmar constituted the largest
number (8,600), followed by those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (4,700), the Syrian
Arab Republic (4,000), Iraq (3,700), and Somalia
(3,500). Combined, persons from these five countries accounted for 73 per cent of all UNHCRassisted resettlement departures. n
VII
REFUGEE RETURNS
To some extent, voluntary returns of refugees to
their country of origin can be an indication of stability and safety in those countries. Following this
logic, it is tempting to assume that the number of
refugee returns is proportional to the level of safety
prevailing in their country of origin, as refugees are
expected to return under conditions of safety and in
dignity. This is not always the case, however.
The number of returning refugees has remained
fairly low in recent years. An estimated 84,400 individuals returned during the first half of 2015,
compared to 107,000 during the same period in
2014. While the overall number of refugee returns
in 2014 (126,800) was already the lowest in more
than three decades, current trends indicate that
2015 figures may even be lower. Some 63,800 of
those who had returned by mid-2015 did so with
UNHCR assistance.
UNHCR offices in 28 countries reported the
return of refugees, with the largest numbers returning to Afghanistan (46,100), Somalia (19,000),
Sudan (3,900), and Iraq (3,300). Together, these
four countries of origin accounted for 85 per cent of
all returnees. Countries with the highest number of
refugee departures, meanwhile, included Pakistan
(44,700), Yemen (16,500), the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (5,100), and Chad (4,900). n
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
15
annex TABLE 1
Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs),
stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by country/territory of asylum | mid-2015 (or latest available estimates)
All data are provisional and subject to change.
REFUGEES
Country/
territory of asylum1
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria10
Angola
Antigua
and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia11
Austria12
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh13
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bolivia (Plurinational
State of)
Bonaire, Saint
Eustatius and Saba
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria14
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada14
Cayman Islands
Central African Rep.
Chad
Chile
China15
China,
Hong Kong SAR
China, Macao SAR
Colombia
Comoros
Congo, Republic of
Costa Rica
Côte d’Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Curaçao
Cyprus16
Czech Rep.14
Dem. Rep. of
the Congo17
Denmark14
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Rep.18
Ecuador12
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia19
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland14
16
Refugees 2
205,558
154
94,144
15,572
People in
refugee-like
situations3
20,156
-
Total refugees
and people in
refugee-like
situations
225,714
154
94,144
15,572
Of whom
assisted by
UNHCR
225,714
154
90,139
54
Asylumseekers
(pending
cases) 4
101
501
5,892
30,086
Returned
refugees5
46,148
2,887
IDPs
protected/
assisted by
UNHCR, incl.
people in IDPlike situations6
947,872
-
Returned
IDPs7
300
-
Persons
under
UNHCR’s
statelessness
mandate8
7,443
-
Others of
concern to
UNHCR9
201,284
-
Total
population
of concern
1,421,419
8,098
100,036
48,545
-
-
-
-
10
-
-
-
-
-
10
3,523
3,240
35,582
60,747
1,357
7
277
32,975
1
1,369
31,115
488
12,450
200,000
-
3,523
15,690
35,582
60,747
1,357
7
277
232,975
1
1,369
31,115
488
113
7,297
1,357
7
277
32,975
1
617
488
897
114
2
22,837
30,900
262
19
78
11
257
9,396
146
84
-
622,892
-
-
238
570
3,585
6,302
5,267
-
30
-
4,420
16,042
2
58,419
92,217
628,096
56
355
232,986
1
7,928
45,778
146
572
767
-
767
153
8
-
-
-
-
-
775
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6,805
-
6,805
6,805
11
19
84,500
-
79
52,437
143,851
2,164
7,762
11,046
34,027
54,126
80
288,552
149,163
6
7,906
420,774
1,798
301,057
13,741
-
2,164
7,762
11,046
34,027
54,126
80
302,293
149,163
6
7,906
420,774
1,798
301,057
2,164
708
11,046
34,027
54,126
76
289,806
6
7,170
420,774
55
150
248
17,902
7,840
180
2,733
33
7,835
14,481
1
394
2,749
719
564
11
1,220
-
78,948
81,693
368,859
-
138,825
-
2
20,524
67
1,302
115
-
40,336
590
131
100
50,000
-
2,412
66,002
20,524
18,953
34,207
137,710
115
244
391,821
163,644
107
517,204
473,523
2,517
301,621
151
-
151
151
9,940
-
-
-
1
-
10,092
219
61,492
3,475
1,972
669
313
44
5,763
3,137
41
-
219
61,492
3,475
1,972
710
313
44
5,763
3,137
33
61,492
3,469
1,972
710
172
44
-
6
56
3,248
1,819
667
90
12
41
2,339
409
22
1
74
24
-
6,520,270
24,000
-
-
12
2,613
700,000
2,886
1,502
1,069
57
13,774
6,000
-
6
6,520,579
65,810
7,907
726,770
17,484
325
85
14,102
5,048
160,271
-
160,271
131,686
1,124
3,230
1,491,769
193,841
-
150,771
2,001,006
17,785
14,787
609
53,378
226,344
48
2,944
117
702,467
12
11,798
68,344
-
17,785
14,787
609
121,722
226,344
48
2,944
117
702,467
12
11,798
14,787
609
53,378
226,344
13
2,944
702,467
12
-
4,566
2,586
752
11,583
30,019
1
117
2,871
8
2,622
1
2
-
-
-
4,984
133,770
21
86,522
1,928
21
346
-
27,335
17,373
135,131
133,305
256,384
48
2,967
86,756
705,686
20
16,348
… /…
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
annex TABLE 1
Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs),
stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by country/territory of asylum | mid-2015 (or latest available estimates) (ctnd)
All data are provisional and subject to change.
REFUGEES
Country/
territory of asylum1
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Rep. of)
Iraq20
Ireland14
Israel
Italy14
Jamaica
Japan21
Jordan22
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People’s
Dem. Rep.
Latvia23
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
(Federated
States of)
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar24
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal25
Netherlands14
New Zealand14
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Norway14
Oman
Pakistan
Refugees 2
264,972
1,008
11,773
1,060
250,299
18,476
7,304
202
8,704
8,684
11
5
23
4,192
104
200,383
5,277
979,441
288,035
5,853
361
93,715
15
2,419
664,102
662
552,272
593
433
People in
refugee-like
situations3
599
927
38,139
-
Total refugees
and people in
refugee-like
situations
264,972
1,008
11,773
1,659
250,299
18,476
8,231
202
8,704
8,684
11
5
23
4,192
104
200,383
5,277
979,441
288,035
5,853
38,500
93,715
15
2,419
664,102
662
552,272
593
433
Of whom
assisted by
UNHCR
1,008
11,773
1,659
18,476
87
8,704
8,684
11
11
26,799
5,277
979,441
288,035
5,348
15
412
664,102
662
552,272
593
433
Asylumseekers
(pending
cases) 4
53,827
1,886
2
587
311,551
2,855
29,157
73
293
123
1
5
19
24,431
225
5,381
7,911
42
7,420
4,300
6,591
48,307
3
10,705
20,693
149
40,341
1,040
168
Returned
refugees5
8
3,318
1,231
-
IDPs
protected/
assisted by
UNHCR, incl.
people in IDPlike situations6
265,267
3,962,142
-
Returned
IDPs7
716
-
Persons
under
UNHCR’s
statelessness
mandate8
1,290
793
11,978
214
128
119
50,000
99
88
606
631
7,038
20,000
93,000
13,678
Others of
concern to
UNHCR9
29
-
Total
population
of concern
320,089
2,894
11,775
268,306
573,828
21,331
37,602
275
8,997
8,807
12
10
42
28,751
448
205,764
13,188
979,491
4,311,660
10,252
45,179
142,628
18
13,755
684,795
7,849
613,844
94,633
14,279
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
195
1,172,388
44
38,904
27,948
107
1,055
1,192
10
8,963
97,385
14,970
6,095
50,851
2,158
188
26,000
-
195
1,172,388
44
38,904
27,948
107
1,055
1,192
10
8,963
97,573
14,970
6,095
76,851
2,158
1,172,388
38,904
27,948
10
8,963
97,573
14,486
50,851
212
171
10,851
1
18
8,904
75
54
831
9
13,669
54,400
386
425
407
-
6
740
-
434,869
90,218
-
41,995
-
262,802
1
2
3,583
81
40,000
13
5,813
1,479
80,000
55
263,168
1,189,052
45
40,408
471,721
184
4,692
2,104
19
22,632
271,973
148,309
6,520
77,258
2,226
-
-
-
-
34
-
-
-
-
-
34
33
11
6,203
2,144
4,552
1,659
506
36,287
82,494
1,349
361
82,064
1,279
47,043
122
1,540,854
-
33
11
6,203
2,144
4,552
1,659
506
36,287
82,494
1,349
361
82,064
1,279
47,043
122
1,540,854
11
6,203
2,144
2,482
1,468
21,287
81
82,064
1,279
122
1,540,854
5
7
2,216
14,257
1,100
816
57
8,097
251
25
122
909
5,885
268
6,103
1
5
2
2
368,500
50,000
1,385,298
1,556,400
8,000
122,719
336,606
16
3,284
1,090,000
1,951
1
1,997
-
10,318
7
1,679
409
2
70,000
-
33
32
19,812
4,360
18,816
1,466,501
4,443
1,322
36,753
92,542
1,600
391
202,186
1,510,205
54,925
390
3,439,965
… /…
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
17
annex TABLE 1
Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs),
stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by country/territory of asylum | mid-2015 (or latest available estimates) (ctnd)
All data are provisional and subject to change.
REFUGEES
Country/
territory of asylum1
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland14
Portugal14
Qatar
Rep. of Korea
Rep. of Moldova
Romania
Russian Federation26
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
Sao Tome and
Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia and Kosovo
(S/RES/1244 (1999))
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sint Maarten
(Dutch part)
Slovakia14
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan27
Spain14
Sri Lanka28
State of Palestine
Sudan29
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden14
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Rep.30
Tajikistan31
Thailand32
The former
Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey33
Turkmenistan
Turcs and
Caicos Islands
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab
Emirates
United Kingdom14
United Rep. of
Tanzania
United States of
America34
Uruguay
Uzbekistan35
Vanuatu
18
Refugees 2
1
2,303
4,929
161
1,407
254
15,741
699
133
1,313
389
2,426
315,313
132,743
1
2
People in
refugee-like
situations3
15,000
4,581
-
Total refugees
and people in
refugee-like
situations
1
17,303
9,510
161
1,407
254
15,741
699
133
1,313
389
2,426
315,313
132,743
1
2
Of whom
assisted by
UNHCR
1
330
24
39
17
133
394
389
156
3,596
132,743
1
2
-
-
-
-
-
184
14,304
Asylumseekers
(pending
cases) 4
Returned
refugees5
IDPs
protected/
assisted by
UNHCR, incl.
people in IDPlike situations6
42,171
-
334,888
-
Persons
under
UNHCR’s
statelessness
mandate8
2
8,619
10,825
14
1,200
200
6,233
294
113,474
-
Others of
concern to
UNHCR9
68
361
60
Total
population
of concern
1
19,343
9,910
200
1,773
386,163
29,036
1,354
1,433
6,615
6,786
2,858
431,210
135,553
1
64
Returned
IDPs7
2,038
400
39
366
163
2,470
641
100
5,102
164
138
2,423
253
2
2,196
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
27
-
211
14,304
211
14,304
93
2,956
-
-
-
70,000
-
-
70,304
17,260
35,309
-
35,309
7,360
464
73
220,227
159
3,490
-
259,722
1,371
-
-
1,371
-
458
-
16
-
-
-
-
-
1
1,387
1
3
-
3
3
5
-
-
-
-
-
8
799
283
3
3,582
114,512
265,887
5,798
848
322,638
1
539
142,207
69,390
149,200
1,782
56,947
33,553
53,425
799
283
3
3,582
114,512
265,887
5,798
848
356,191
1
539
142,207
69,390
149,200
1,782
110,372
3
3,582
11,451
265,887
848
268,262
1
127
26,527
1,350
110,372
61
43
9,320
798,080
632
11,020
461
11,448
321
56,135
17,085
4,839
79
8,166
19,004
231
3
3,896
-
1,133,000
1,643,484
50,268
2,342,979
7,632,500
-
148,530
50,105
-
1,523
4
440
27,167
76
160,000
10,051
506,197
148
69
3,290
4
31
521
2,531
330
3
1,164,975
912,592
2,058,533
17,258
51,808
3
2,767,909
1
864
225,509
86,551
7,946,539
11,943
625,256
584
244
828
828
43
-
-
-
717
-
1,588
21,877
121
824
1,838,848
27
-
21,877
121
824
1,838,848
27
13,414
121
822
1,838,848
27
687
59
156
145,335
-
-
-
-
780
7,144
5
3
306
-
5
22,564
180
983
1,985,269
7,171
4
-
4
4
4
-
-
-
-
-
8
428,397
3,232
-
428,397
3,232
428,397
459
38,068
6,169
-
1,382,000
-
35,179
180,000
-
646,465
1,426,580
424
-
424
424
378
-
-
-
-
-
802
117,234
-
117,234
-
37,829
-
-
-
16
-
155,079
159,014
-
159,014
136,787
1,150
-
-
-
-
168,019
328,183
267,222
-
267,222
-
224,508
-
-
-
-
-
491,730
289
118
-
-
289
118
-
73
118
-
68
1
-
-
-
86,703
-
-
357
86,821
1
… /…
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
annex TABLE 1
Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs),
stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by country/territory of asylum | mid-2015 (or latest available estimates) (ctnd)
All data are provisional and subject to change.
REFUGEES
Country/
territory of asylum1
Refugees 2
Venezuela
(Bolivarian
5,647
Republic of)
Viet Nam
Yemen
263,047
Zambia
25,737
Zimbabwe36
6,085
Total 14,441,674
UNHCR-Bureaux
- Central Africa865,112
Great Lakes
- East and Horn
2,713,748
of Africa
- Southern Africa
179,837
- Western Africa
258,893
Total Africa
4,017,590
Asia and Pacific
3,506,644
Middle East and
2,941,121
North Africa
Europe
3,475,270
Americas
501,049
Total 14,441,674
UN major regions
Africa
4,419,845
Asia
7,853,396
Europe
1,625,002
Latin America and
84,664
the Caribbean
Northern America
416,385
Oceania
42,382
Total 14,441,674
Total refugees
People in and people in
refugee-like refugee-like
situations
situations3
Of whom
assisted by
UNHCR
Asylumseekers
(pending
cases) 4
IDPs
protected/
assisted by
UNHCR, incl.
people in IDPlike situations6
Returned
refugees5
Returned
IDPs7
Persons
under
UNHCR’s
statelessness
mandate8
Others of
concern to
UNHCR9
Total
population
of concern
-
174,895
168,544
174,191
34,164
704
-
-
-
-
655,959
263,047
25,737
6,085
15,097,633
118,338
25,737
6,085
11,482,891
9,902
2,606
123
2,343,919
10
84,365
1,267,590
34,047,716
1,376,684
11,000
300,000
3,944,474
13,741
878,853
814,818
18,623
6,658
2,021,269
332,666
1,302
320,810
3,580,181
33,553
2,747,301
2,659,372
108,016
24,134
5,119,463
198,635
20,000
233,726
8,451,275
47,294
278,350
179,837
258,893
4,064,884
3,784,994
58,541
249,033
3,781,764
3,044,957
860,500
9,298
996,437
133,894
2,902
820
34,514
46,390
1,549,516
8,690,248
2,965,211
164,714
696,015
679,794
300,000
700,116
1,021,418
1,801,802
26,978
71,536
653,050
282,450
1,370,217
2,754,893
16,156,566
9,694,535
64,166
3,005,287
2,674,746
109,847
3,321
13,297,101
716
374,309
5,845
16,796,426
14,261
251,888
655,959
3,489,531
752,937
15,097,633
1,887,484
93,940
11,482,891
827,374
276,367
2,343,919
116
24
84,365
2,574,886
6,520,270
34,047,716
159
1,376,684
610,532
136,413
3,944,474
82,983
7,585,581
40,583
7,726,594
1,064,911 57,959,702
73,294
324,984
1,212
4,493,139
8,178,380
1,626,214
4,180,012
7,170,600
38,323
1,044,031
320,437
678,737
34,514
49,711
116
9,125,117
16,715,602
1,686,727
696,015
680,510
159
1,021,439
2,181,486
605,136
653,053 17,067,308
294,598 28,420,724
76,677 4,673,766
251,888
336,552
93,940
37,378
24
6,520,270
-
136,413
4,581
655,959
416,385
46,963
15,097,633
16
11,482,891
238,989
24,347
2,343,919
84,365
34,047,716
1,376,684
3,944,474
11,000
1,540,539
23,415
51,758
1,873
308,091
1,064,911 57,959,702
40,583
7,071,220
655,374
71,310
1,064,911 57,959,702
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
19
Notes
The data are generally provided by Governments, based on their own definitions and methods
of data collection.
A dash (“-”) indicates that the value is zero, not available or not applicable.
1 Country or territory of asylum or residence.
2 Persons recognized as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention/1967 Protocol, the 1969 OAU
Convention, in accordance with the UNHCR Statute, persons granted a complementary form
of protection and those granted temporary protection. In the absence of Government figures,
UNHCR has estimated the refugee population in many industrialized countries based on 10
years of individual asylum-seeker recognition.
3 This category is descriptive in nature and includes groups of persons who are outside their
country or territory of origin and who face protection risks similar to those of refugees, but
for whom refugee status has, for practical or other reasons, not been ascertained.
4 Persons whose application for asylum or refugee status is pending at any stage in the asylum
procedure.
5 Refugees who have returned to their place of origin during the first half of 2015. Source:
country of origin and asylum.
6 Persons who are displaced within their country and to whom UNHCR extends protection
and/or assistance. It also includes people in IDP-like situations. This category is descriptive in
nature and includes groups of persons who are inside their country of nationality or habitual
residence and who face protection risks similar to those of IDPs but who, for practical or other
reasons, could not be reported as such.
7 IDPs protected/assisted by UNHCR who have returned to their place of origin during the first
half of 2015.
8 Refers to persons who are not considered as nationals by any State under the operation
of its law. This category refers to persons who fall under the agency’s statelessness mandate
because they are stateless according to this international definition, but data from some
countries may also include persons with undetermined nationality.
9 Refers to individuals who do not necessarily fall directly into any of the other groups but to
whom UNHCR may extend its protection and/or assistance services. These activities might be
based on humanitarian or other special grounds.
10 According to the Government of Algeria, there are an estimated 165,000 Sahrawi refugees in
the Tindouf camps.
11 Australia’s figures for asylum-seekers are based on the number of applications lodged for
protection visas. Refugee figure refers to the end of 2014.
12 All figures relate to the end of 2014.
13 The refugee population includes 200,000 persons originating from Myanmar in a refugeelike situation. The Government of Bangladesh estimates the population to be between
300,000 and 500,000.
14 Refugee population relates to the end of 2014.
15 The 300,000 Vietnamese refugees are well integrated and in practice receive protection
from the Government of China.
16 UNHCR’s assistance activities for IDPs in Cyprus ended in 1999. Visit the website of the
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) for further information.
17 The number of Rwandan refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is subject to
change based on a registration exercise carried out in 2014 that resulted in a figure of 243,000
identified Rwandans, as well as a biometric registration exercise. UNOCHA revised the IDP
figure in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from more than 2.7 million at the end of 2014
to 1.5 million at mid-2015.
18 A previous estimate of 210,000 individuals was based on a national survey released by the
National Bureau for Statistics in 2013 concerning individuals born in the country to foreign
parents. According to official information released by the Dominican Government in 2015,
this estimate actually included a significant number of individuals born in the country to a
Dominican-born parent (i.e., a parent who may be a Dominican national). The revised estimate
includes only individuals born in the country where both parents were born abroad. This
estimate does not include subsequent generations of individuals of foreign descent, as there is
no reliable population data available concerning those other than first generation individuals,
and as such it does not include all persons without nationality. Finally, it should be noted
that the revised estimate will be adjusted as official data becomes available on the number of
individuals who have found an effective nationality solution under Law 169-14.
20
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
19 Almost all people recorded as being stateless have permanent residence and enjoy more
rights than foreseen in the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.
20 Pending a more accurate study into statelessness in Iraq, the estimate of stateless persons
in Iraq has been adjusted to reflect the reduction of statelessness in line with Law 26 of 2006,
which allows stateless persons to apply for nationality in certain circumstances.
21 Figures are UNHCR estimates.
22 Includes 32,800 Iraqi refugees registered with UNHCR in Jordan. The Government estimated
the number of Iraqis at 400,000 individuals at the end of March 2015. This included refugees
and other categories of Iraqis.
23 The figure of stateless persons includes persons covered by two separate Laws. 180 fall
under the Republic of Latvia’s Law on Stateless Persons on 17 February 2004, which replaced
the Law on the Status of Stateless Persons in the Republic of Latvia of 18 February 1999,
and which determines the legal status of persons who are not considered as citizens by the
legislation of any State and whose status is not determined by the 25th April 1995 Law (quoted
below). 262,622 of the persons reported in this table fall under the Republic of Latvia’s 25
April 1995 Law on the Status of Those Former USSR Citizens who are not Citizens of Latvia
or of Any Other State, and are granted a transitional legal status to permanently residing
persons (non-citizens) entitling them to a set of rights and obligations beyond the minimum
rights prescribed by the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. According
to the Latvian authorities, “Non-citizens of Latvia is the only category of residents who are
not Latvian citizens, but who enjoy the right to reside in Latvia ex lege (all others require a
resident permit) and an immediate right to acquire citizenship through registration and/or
naturalisation (depending on age).”
24 This figure is an estimate of persons without any citizenship in Rakhine state derived from
the 2014 census. It does not include an estimated 175,000 IDPs, persons in an IDP-like situation
and IDP returnees who are also of concern under the statelessness mandate because they are
already included among the IDP figure.
25 Various studies estimate that a large number of individuals lack citizenship certificates
in Nepal. While these individuals are not all necessarily stateless, UNHCR has been working
closely with the Government of Nepal and partners to address this situation.
26 Stateless persons refers to census figure from 2010 adjusted to reflect the number of
people who acquired nationality in 2011-2014.
27 IDP figure in South Sudan includes 105,000 people who are in an IDP-like situation.
28 The statistics of the remaining IDPs as at mid-2015, while provided by the Government
authorities at the district level, are being reviewed by the central authorities. Once this review
has been concluded, the statistics will be changed accordingly.
29 IDP figure in Sudan includes 77,300 people who are in an IDP-like situation.
30 Refugee figure for Iraqis in the Syrian Arab Republic is a Government estimate. UNHCR has
registered and is assisting 23,500 Iraqis at mid-2015.
31 Figure refers to a registration exercise in three regions and 637 persons registered as
stateless by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan.
32 Figure of stateless persons in Thailand refers to 2011.
33 Refugee figure for Syrians in Turkey is a Government estimate.
34 The refugee figure for the United States of America is currently under review, which may
lead to an adjustment in future reports. Refugee figure relates to the end of 2014.
35 Figure of stateless persons refers to those with permanent residence reported in 2010 by
the Government. Information on other categories of stateless persons is not available.
36 The figure is an estimate and currently under review.
Source: UNHCR/Governments.
annex TABLE 2
Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs),
stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin
| mid-2015 (or latest available estimates)
All data are provisional and subject to change.
REFUGEES
Origin1
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
(Plurinational State of)
Bosnia and
Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cayman Islands
Central African Rep.
Chad
Chile
China
China, Hong Kong SAR
China, Macao SAR
Colombia
Comoros
Congo, Republic of
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Côte d’Ivoire
Croatia10
Cuba
Curaçao
Cyprus11
Czech Rep.
Dem. People’s Rep.
of Korea
Dem. Rep. of
the Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Rep.
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Refugees2
2,632,534
10,463
3,541
7
9,550
1
53
312
11,891
18
9
10,579
215
373
11,108
86
4,299
76
45
352
21,392
Total refugees
People in and people in
refugee-like refugee-like
situations3
situations
- 2,632,534
10,463
3,541
7
9,550
1
53
312
11,891
18
9
10,579
215
373
1
11,109
86
4,299
76
45
352
21,392
of whom:
UNHCRassisted
2,514,874
6
68
1,122
3
72
1,590
17
212
16
1
20,818
Asylumseekers
(pending
cases) 4
106,972
34,550
6,259
1
2,226
16
131
6,834
9
12
4,845
58
107
28,150
32
1,108
14
38
873
3
194
Returned
refugees5
46,148
2,887
-
IDPs
protected/
assisted by
UNHCR, incl.
people in
IDP-like
situations6
947,872
622,892
-
Returned
IDPs7
300
-
Persons under
Others of
UNHCR’s
statelessness concern to
mandate8
UNHCR9
201,315
18
62,413
12
1
7
12
1
-
Total
population
of concern
3,935,141
45,013
9,818
8
77,076
1
69
443
18,737
27
21
638,317
273
487
39,271
118
5,408
90
83
1,225
3
21,586
593
-
593
11
291
-
-
-
-
-
884
19,587
41
19,628
3,111
6,284
19
84,500
-
-
52,438
162,869
236
971
1
1,631
1,862
217,360
27
12,939
10,854
87
6
469,314
14,809
604
210,815
25
5
95,237
562
14,745
1
418
72,158
33,669
6,058
35
6
1,311
9
1,254
33,553
250,888
1,000
-
236
971
1
1,631
1,862
217,360
27
12,948
10,854
87
6
470,568
48,362
604
210,815
25
5
346,125
562
14,745
1
418
72,158
33,669
7,058
35
6
1,311
5
2
21
185,057
174
406
1
468,913
12,511
11
295
89,223
1
2,024
2
59,583
12,021
726
-
116
1,472
1
248
2,049
24,157
90
272
6,116
67
10,157
3,275
87
52,598
33
20
6,030
377
4,079
155
14,396
460
1,760
6
162
11
1,220
22
1
74
24
-
78,948
81,693
368,859
6,520,270
24,000
-
138,825
-
-
1
1
163,497
4
6
15,049
35,000
1
78
41
13,774
130
-
352
2,443
2
1,880
3,912
483,973
117
13,220
98,667
160
6
1,004,678
86,637
691
263,414
58
25
6,872,447
939
18,903
1
573
110,669
47,927
8,948
35
12
1,473
1,079
-
1,079
70
294
-
-
-
-
-
1,373
535,115
208
535,323
464,691
75,350
3,230
1,491,769
193,841
-
116,289
2,415,802
11
921
38
358
807
16,105
11,120
173
352,309
31,560
11
921
38
358
807
16,105
11,120
173
383,869
85
11
19
267
385
13
233,050
7
494
25
1,439
6,330
10,415
21,885
104
60,157
1
-
-
-
31
48
24
64
18
1,446
63
1,797
7,137
26,568
33,029
277
444,091
… /…
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
21
annex TABLE 2
Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs),
stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin
| mid-2015 (or latest available estimates) (ctnd)
All data are provisional and subject to change.
REFUGEES
Origin1
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Holy See (the)
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Rep. of)
Iraq12
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People’s Dem. Rep.
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar13
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
22
Refugees2
340
88,149
924
7
93
173
5,136
6,719
174
22,182
2
112
324
7,467
16,009
1,321
703
37,092
4,312
1,303
1
10,359
9,690
83,507
377,747
10
962
68
1,696
190
1,767
2,242
7,474
3
978
2,423
7,420
215
4,329
17
13,543
4,317
186
2
286
363
467
34
146,667
5
3
34,121
93
10,664
3
2,177
615
1,559
59
204,949
1,185
8,562
64
Total refugees
People in and people in
refugee-like refugee-like
situations3
situations
340
88,149
924
7
93
173
5,136
6,719
174
22,182
2
112
324
7,467
16,009
1,321
703
37,092
4,312
1,303
1
10,359
4,739
14,429
83,507
377,747
10
962
68
1,696
190
1,767
2,242
7,474
3
978
2,423
7,420
215
4,329
17
27
13,570
4,317
186
2
286
363
467
34
146,667
5
3
34,121
93
10,664
3
2,177
615
1,559
59
253,432
458,381
1,185
2
8,564
64
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
of whom:
UNHCRassisted
1
42,844
6
3
58
541
2
10,040
52
185
16
689
187
2
14
788
16,180
127,650
1
13
114
16
2,974
31
259
3
4
111
8,882
53
2
2
4
3
135,554
26,591
16
4
46
6
250,241
912
30
-
Asylumseekers
(pending
cases) 4
39
72,278
732
7
62
173
11,899
7,759
87
9,883
84
51
19,587
17,496
2,117
198
7,933
13,678
1,645
4
22,414
2,529
39,876
141,913
50
356
137
570
79
1,539
1,187
3,278
1
248
1,988
123
90
4,270
969
2,355
5,219
82
1
183
5,368
1,958
10
10,919
6
7,134
190
35,276
2,622
2,745
3,860
2,049
55,639
147
6,605
48
Returned
refugees5
2
8
3,318
1,231
6
740
1
5
-
IDPs
protected/
assisted by
UNHCR, incl.
people in
IDP-like
situations6
265,267
3,962,142
434,869
90,218
368,500
-
Returned
IDPs7
716
41,995
8,000
-
Persons under
Others of
UNHCR’s
statelessness concern to
mandate8
UNHCR9
367
2
2
5
40,336
26
3
363
3
22
45
114
3
9
7
5
4
15
2
526
13
1
Total
population
of concern
379
160,796
1,656
14
155
346
17,035
279,745
263
32,067
2
196
375
27,059
33,505
3,438
901
85,361
18,016
2,951
5
33,136
16,961
123,413
4,485,881
60
1,318
205
2,266
269
3,420
3,429
11,986
4
1,226
4,411
7,543
305
8,599
986
15,940
444,412
268
3
474
5,731
2,425
44
290,539
5
9
41,259
283
45,940
3
4,799
3,360
5,434
2,110
891,047
1,350
15,169
113
… /…
annex TABLE 2
Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs),
stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin
| mid-2015 (or latest available estimates) (ctnd)
All data are provisional and subject to change.
REFUGEES
Origin1
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestinian14
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Rep. of Korea
Rep. of Moldova
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda15
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint-Pierreet-Miquelon
Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia and Kosovo
(S/RES/1244 (1999))
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sint Maarten
(Dutch part)
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan16
Spain
Sri Lanka17
Sudan18
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian Arab Rep.
Tajikistan
The former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
Thailand
Tibetan
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Total refugees
People in and people in
refugee-like refugee-like
Refugees2 situations3
situations
16
16
1,434
1,434
1,172
1,172
107,816
12,487
120,303
18
18
1
1
13
13
31
31
241,973
20,163
262,136
1
1
97,241
97,241
72
72
288
288
94
94
4,129
4,129
668
1
669
1,401
1,401
31
31
21
21
483
483
2,242
2,242
1,929
1,929
71,497
71,497
76,898
76,898
23
23
922
922
502
438
89,803
4
228,023
87,473
3
1
196
18
4
1
26
3
961
38,166
-
Asylumseekers
(pending
cases) 4
19
863
733
40,640
3
23
52,409
2
3,923
52
251
61
1,202
1,540
340
49
9
316
2,348
1,274
23,605
10,541
19
217
of whom:
UNHCRassisted
2
2
3
2,196
-
IDPs
protected/
assisted by
UNHCR, incl.
people in
IDP-like
situations6
50,000
1,385,298
1,556,400
42,171
-
Returned
refugees5
Returned
IDPs7
122,719
336,606
334,888
-
Persons under
Others of
UNHCR’s
statelessness concern to
mandate8
UNHCR9
1
70,000
13
2
3,241
80,055
1
2
310
5,292
-
Total
population
of concern
36
2,299
121,905
1,668,973
18
1
16
54
2,207,555
3
104,408
124
539
155
5,331
459,323
1,741
80
30
799
4,591
3,205
95,412
94,927
42
1,139
-
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
1
1,736
-
1,736
-
170
-
-
-
-
-
1,906
1
1
22
629
23,404
-
1
1
22
629
23,404
19
20
19,928
483
1
8
483
11,599
-
-
-
-
15
-
484
2
30
1,127
35,003
44,648
244
44,892
6,660
55,253
73
220,227
159
-
-
320,604
25
4,962
59
-
25
4,962
59
816
-
16
3,377
34
-
-
-
-
1,479
-
41
9,818
93
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
305
24
70
1,105,460
426
744,034
60
122,533
634,612
17
162
18
17
4,180,920
741
158
68
6,307
13,634
-
305
24
70
1,105,618
426
744,102
60
122,533
640,919
17
162
18
17
4,194,554
741
1
826,556
6
720,660
4
2,234
620,493
3
4,023,972
70
498
22
30
49,990
840
3,885
87
15,504
40,109
48
170
10
3
90,751
1,021
19,004
231
3,896
-
1,133,000
1,643,484
50,268
2,342,979
7,632,500
-
148,530
50,105
-
-
74
12
15
6
3
8,001
-
803
46
100
2,307,686
1,266
2,540,013
147
188,551
3,078,014
65
335
28
20
11,925,806
1,762
1,813
-
1,813
5
9,780
-
-
-
-
-
11,593
225
15,069
13
9,226
22
371
1,484
63,004
498
2
-
227
15,069
13
9,226
22
371
1,484
63,004
498
15
3
1
3,128
44
16,761
28
682
10
4
1,874
78
172
2,052
10,302
1,021
-
-
-
-
46
11
15
-
909
15,125
17
11,100
100
543
3,547
73,321
1,519
… /…
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
23
annex TABLE 2
Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs),
stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin
| mid-2015 (or latest available estimates) (ctnd)
All data are provisional and subject to change.
REFUGEES
Origin1
Refugees2
Turks and
15
Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
2
Uganda
7,185
Ukraine
318,606
United Arab Emirates
93
United Kingdom
141
United Rep.
859
of Tanzania
United States
4,949
of America19
Uruguay
125
Uzbekistan
4,762
Vanuatu
1
Venezuela
7,954
(Bolivarian Rep. of)
Viet Nam20
313,332
Wallis and
Futuna Islands
Western Sahara21
90,538
Yemen
5,832
Zambia
318
Zimbabwe
22,210
Stateless
30,196
Various/unknown
113,101
Total 14,441,674
UNHCR-Bureaux
- Central AfricaGreat Lakes
- East and Horn
of Africa
- Southern Africa
Total refugees
People in and people in
refugee-like refugee-like
situations3
situations
Returned
refugees5
Persons under
Others of
UNHCR’s
statelessness concern to
mandate8
UNHCR9
Returned
IDPs7
Total
population
of concern
-
15
-
3
-
-
-
-
-
18
180
-
2
7,185
318,786
93
141
916
933
5
2
1
6,123
20,754
90
114
-
1,382,000
-
-
-
180,000
5
-
3
193,308
1,721,545
183
255
-
859
98
1,395
-
-
-
-
-
2,254
-
4,949
13
235
-
-
-
-
16
5,200
-
125
4,762
1
1
311
-
57
2,293
-
-
-
-
-
2
-
182
7,057
1
-
7,954
195
7,420
-
-
-
-
2
15,376
1
313,333
231
4,745
-
-
-
-
198
318,276
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
-
1
26,000
116,538
5,832
318
22,210
30,196
113,101
655,959 15,097,633
90,116
3,619
12
1,352
955
465
11,482,891
1,100
5,618
414
52,992
10,082
756,240
2,343,919
1,267,590
10
84,365 34,047,716
1,376,684
3,944,474
3,944,474
117,638
14
1,279,054
732
121
75,333
- 3,984,752
13,831
883,172
1,064,911 57,959,702
1,325,513
1,462
1,326,975
1,159,390
132,080
6,658
2,021,269
332,666
-
300,209
4,119,857
2,954,953
71,646
3,026,599
2,460,089
239,589
24,134
5,119,463
198,635
-
215,557
8,823,977
62,557
167,008
35,492
- Western Africa
425,837
Total Africa
4,741,795
Asia and Pacific
3,923,643
Middle East and North
4,822,588
Africa
Europe
609,208
Americas
201,143
Various/Stateless
143,297
Total 14,441,674
UN major regions
Africa
4,893,460
Asia
8,685,396
Europe
517,009
Latin America and
196,107
the Caribbean
Northern America
5,036
Oceania
1,369
Various/Stateless
143,297
Total 14,441,674
24
Asylumseekers
(pending
cases) 4
of whom:
UNHCRassisted
IDPs
protected/
assisted by
UNHCR, incl.
people in
IDP-like
situations6
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
-
35,492
3,420
66,057
2,902
-
-
-
12,514
85,622
278,350
438,351
4,827,417
4,201,993
328,453
3,951,352
3,034,918
130,300
568,026
404,755
820
34,514
46,390
1,549,516
8,690,248
2,965,211
164,714
696,015
679,794
-
39,634
4,862,222
4,360,201
285,369
3,321
13,297,101
716
-
11,540 18,460,269
465
609,673
251,888
453,031
143,297
655,959 15,097,633
42,735
92,265
1,420
11,482,891
191,816
127,631
766,322
2,343,919
116 2,574,886
24 6,520,270
84,365 34,047,716
159
1,376,684
3,944,474
3,944,474
66,566
3,443,216
40,545
7,141,501
13,831 4,867,924
1,064,911 57,959,702
71,545 2,355,246
649,868 15,466,088
282,561 8,580,704
111,622
291,984
465
5,005,082
8,977,380
517,474
4,068,537
7,296,891
23,771
604,065
682,219
162,068
34,514
49,711
116
9,125,117
16,715,602
1,686,727
696,015
680,510
159
-
649,971
294,025
66,538
16,114,764
27,399,447
2,433,082
251,888
447,995
92,251
127,326
24
6,520,270
-
-
40,523
7,136,138
5,036
1,369
143,297
655,959 15,097,633
14
7
1,420
11,482,891
306
1,613
766,322
2,343,919
84,365 34,047,716
1,376,684
3,944,474
3,944,474
22
5,364
1
2,983
13,831 4,867,924
1,064,911 57,959,702
Notes
The data are generally provided by Governments, based on their own definitions and methods
of data collection.
A dash (“-”) indicates that the value is zero, not available or not applicable.
1 Country or territory of origin.
2 Persons recognized as refugees under the 1951 UN Convention/1967 Protocol, the 1969 OAU
Convention, in accordance with the UNHCR Statute, persons granted a complementary form
of protection and those granted temporary protection. In the absence of Government figures,
UNHCR has estimated the refugee population in many industrialized countries based on 10
years of individual asylum-seeker recognition.
3 This category is descriptive in nature and includes groups of persons who are outside their
country or territory of origin and who face protection risks similar to those of refugees, but
for whom refugee status has, for practical or other reasons, not been ascertained.
4 Persons whose application for asylum or refugee status is pending at any stage in the asylum
procedure.
5 Refugees who have returned to their place of origin during the first half of 2015. Source:
country of origin and asylum.
6 Persons who are displaced within their country and to whom UNHCR extends protection
and/or assistance. It also includes people in IDP-like situations. This category is descriptive in
nature and includes groups of persons who are inside their country of nationality or habitual
residence and who face protection risks similar to those of IDPs but who, for practical or other
reasons, could not be reported as such.
7 IDPs protected/assisted by UNHCR who have returned to their place of origin during the first
half of 2015.
8 Refers to persons who are not considered as nationals by any State under the operation
of its law. This category refers to persons who fall under the agency’s statelessness mandate
because they are stateless according to this international definition, but data from some
countries may also include persons with undetermined nationality.
9 Refers to individuals who do not necessarily fall directly into any of the other groups but to
whom UNHCR may extend its protection and/or assistance services. These activities might be
based on humanitarian or other special grounds.
10 UNHCR has recommended on 4 April 2014 to start the process of cessation of refugee
status for refugees from Croatia displaced during the 1991-95 conflict. The Office suggests that
cessation enters into effect latest by the end of 2017.
11 UNHCR’s assistance activities for IDPs in Cyprus ended in 1999. Visit the website of the
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) for further information.
12 Refugee figure for Iraqis in the Syrian Arab Republic is a Government estimate. UNHCR has
registered and is assisting 23,500 Iraqis at mid-2015. The refugee population in Jordan includes
32,800 Iraqis registered with UNHCR. The Government of Jordan estimated the number of
Iraqis at 400,000 individuals at the end of March 2015. This included refugees and other
categories of Iraqis.
13 The figure of stateless persons refers to persons without citizenship in Rakhine State only
and does not include an estimated 170,000 IDPs and persons in an IDP-like situation who are
included under the IDP population but who are not considered nationals. The total stateless
population in Rakhine State is estimated to be approximately one million.
14 Refers to Palestinian refugees under the UNHCR mandate only.
15 The number of Rwandan refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is subject to
change based on a registration exercise carried out in 2014 that resulted in a figure of 243,000
identified Rwandans, as well as a biometric registration exercise.
16 An unknown number of refugees and asylum-seekers from South Sudan may be included
under Sudan (in absence of separate statistics for both countries). IDP figure in South Sudan
includes 105,000 people who are in an IDP-like situation.
17 The statistics of the remaining IDPs as at mid-2015, while provided by the Government
authorities at the district level, are being reviewed by the central authorities. Once this review
has been concluded, the statistics will be changed accordingly.
18 Figures for refugees and asylum-seekers may include citizens of South Sudan (in absence of
separate statistics for both countries). IDP figure in Sudan includes 77,300 people who are in an
IDP-like situation.
19 A limited number of countries record refugee and asylum statistics by country of birth
rather than country of origin. This affects the number of refugees reported as originating from
the United States of America.
20 The 300,000 Vietnamese refugees are well integrated and in practice receive protection
from the Government of China.
21 According to the Government of Algeria, there are an estimated 165,000 Sahrawi refugees in
the Tindouf camps.
Source: UNHCR/Governments.
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
25
Annex tables 3 through 14
can be downloaded from
the UNHCR website at:
http://www.unhcr.org/statistics/mid2015stats.zip
26
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
© 2015 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
All rights reserved. Reproductions and translations are
authorized, provided UNHCR is acknowledged as the source.
For more information, please contact:
Field Information and Coordination Support Section
Division of Programme Support and Management
Case Postale 2500
1211 Geneva, Switzerland
[email protected]
This document along with further statistical information on global
displacement is available on UNHCR’s website:
http://www.unhcr.org/statistics
Cover page: This young Syrian refugee carries his little brother
across the border between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia. The number of refugees and migrants arriving by boat
in Greece and travelling long distances over land to reach Western
Europe is on the rise. Many face violence, extortion and robbery
along the way.
© U N H C R | A . M c C o nnell
pr o duced and printed by unhc R .
L ayo ut: www.julieschneider.ch
www.unhcr.org
UNHCR Mid-Year Trends 2015
27
Who are included in UNHCR statistics?
Refugees include individuals recognized under the
1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, its 1967
Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity (OAU)
Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee
Problems in Africa, those recognized in accordance with
the UNHCR Statute, individuals granted complementary
forms of protection,(1) and those enjoying temporary
protection(2). The refugee population also includes
persons in refugee-like situations.(3)
Asylum-seekers (with ‘pending cases’) are
individuals who have sought international protection
and whose claims for refugee status have not yet been
determined. Those covered in this report refer to
claimants whose individual applications were pending
as at 30 June 2015, irrespective of when those claims
may have been lodged.
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) are persons
or groups of persons who have been forced to leave
their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular
as a result of, or in order to avoid the effects of armed
conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations
of human rights, or natural or man-made disasters, and
who have not crossed an international border.(4) For the
purposes of UNHCR’s statistics, this population only
includes conflict-generated IDPs to whom the Office
extends protection and/or assistance. The IDP population
also includes persons in an IDP-like situation. (5)
Returned IDPs refers to those IDPs who were
beneficiaries of UNHCR’s protection and assistance
activities, and who returned to their area of origin or
habitual residence between January and June 2015.
In practice, however, operations may assist IDP
returnees for longer periods.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
Returned refugees (returnees) are former
refugees who have returned to their country of origin,
either spontaneously or in an organized fashion, but are
yet to be fully integrated. Such returns would normally
take place only under conditions of safety and dignity.
For the purposes of this report, only refugees who
returned between January and June 2015 are included,
though in practice operations may assist returnees for
longer periods.
Persons under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate
are defined under international law as those not
considered as nationals by any State under the operation
of its law. In other words, they do not possess the
nationality of any State. UNHCR statistics refer to
persons who fall under the agency’s statelessness
mandate as those who are stateless according to this
international definition, but data from some countries
may also include persons with undetermined nationality.
UNHCR has been given a global mandate by the
United Nations General Assembly to contribute to
the prevention and reduction of statelessness and
the protection of stateless persons. The agency also
performs a specific function, under Article 11 of the
1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, in
receiving claims from persons who may benefit from the
statelessness safeguards contained in that Convention,
and in assisting them and the States concerned to
resolve these claims.
Other groups or persons of concern
refers to
individuals who do not necessarily fall directly into any
of these groups but to whom UNHCR has extended
its protection and/or assistance services, based on
humanitarian or other special grounds.
‘Complementary protection’ refers to protection provided under national, regional, or international law to persons who do not qualify for protection under refugee law
instruments but are in need of international protection because they are at risk of serious harm.
‘Temporary protection’ refers to arrangements developed to offer protection of a temporary nature, either until the situation in the country of origin improves and allows
for a safe and dignified return or until individual refugee or complementary protection status determination can be carried out.
This term is descriptive in nature. It includes groups of persons who are outside their country or territory of origin and who face protection risks similar to refugees but
for whom refugee status has, for practical or other reasons, not been ascertained.
See: United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Francis M. Deng, submitted pursuant to Commission
resolution 1997/39. Addendum: Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, 11 February 1998.
This term is descriptive in nature. It includes groups of persons who are inside their country of nationality or habitual residence and who face protection risks similar to
IDPs but who, for practical or other reasons, could not be reported as such.