I V v & " &UNHCR %L” The UN Refugee Agency 2016 in Review TRENDS AT A GLANCE By the end of 2016, 65.6 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. That was an increase of 300,000 people over the previous year, and the world’s forcibly displaced population remained at a record high. 65.6 MILLION FORCIBLY DISPLACED WORLDWIDE as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations 22.5 million people who were refugees at end-2016 17.2 million under UNHCR’s mandate 5.3 million Palestinian refugees registered by UNRWA 40.3 million internally displaced people 1 2.8 million asylum-seekers 10 10.3 MILLION PEOPLE MILLION NEWLY DISPLACED During the year, 10.3 million people were newly displaced by conflict or persecution. This included 6.9 million individuals displaced within the borders of their own countries 2 and 3.4 million new refugees and new asylum-seekers. 3 ource: Internal Displacement Monitoring S Centre of the Norwegian Refugee Council. 2 Ibid. 3 The number of newly displaced refugees includes only those who have been recognized on a group or prima facie basis. 4 Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2015). World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision (2015 estimate used). See: https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/. 5 These figures refer only to refugees under UNHCR’s mandate. 1 2 20 NEW DISPLACEMENTS EVERY MINUTE The number of new displacements was equivalent to 20 people being forced to flee their homes every minute of 2016. 51% Children below 18 years of age constituted about half of the refugee population in 2016, as in recent years. Children make up an estimated 31 per cent of the total world population.4 UNHCR estimated that at least 10 million people were stateless or at risk of statelessness in 2016. However, data captured by governments and reported to UNHCR were limited to 3.2 million stateless individuals in 75 countries. 84% Developing regions hosted 84 per cent of the world’s refugees under UNHCR’s mandate, with about 14.5 million people. The least developed countries provided asylum to a growing proportion, with 28 per cent of the global total (4.9 million refugees). UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 552,200 2.0 REFUGEES RETURNED MILLION NEW CLAIMS Refugee returns increased from recent years. During 2016, 552,200 refugees returned to their countries of origin, often in less than ideal conditions. The number is more than double the previous year and most returned to Afghanistan (384,000). The number of new asylum claims remained high at 2.0 million. With 722,400 such claims, Germany was the world’s largest recipient of new individual applications, followed by the United States of America (262,000), Italy (123,000), and Turkey (78,600). IN 2.9 1 6 Lebanon continued to host the largest number of refugees relative to its national population, where 1 in 6 people was a refugee. Jordan (1 in 11) and Turkey (1 in 28) ranked second and third, respectively. 5 55% More than half (55 per cent) of all refugees worldwide came from just three countries: Syrian Arab Republic Afghanistan South Sudan (5.5 million) MILLION PEOPLE For the third consecutive year, Turkey hosted the largest number of refugees worldwide, with 2.9 million people. The main countries of asylum for refugees were: Turkey 2.9 million Pakistan 1.4 million Lebanon 1.0 million Islamic Republic of Iran 979,400 Uganda 940,800 Ethiopia 791,600 (2.5 million) (1.4 million) SOUTH SUDAN 189,300 REFUGEES FOR RESETTLEMENT In 2016, UNHCR referred 162,600 refugees to States for resettlement. According to government statistics, 37 countries admitted 189,300 refugees for resettlement during the year, including those resettled with UNHCR’s assistance. The United States of America admitted the highest number (96,900). 75,000 UNACCOMPANIED OR SEPARATED CHILDREN Unaccompanied or separated children – mainly Afghans, and Syrians – lodged some 75,000 asylum applications in 70 countries during the year, although this figure is assumed to be an underestimate. Germany received the highest number of these applications (35,900). SYRIA More than half of the Syrian population lived in displacement in 2016, either displaced across borders or within their own country. The fastest-growing refugee population was spurred by the crisis in South Sudan. This group grew by 64 per cent during the second half of 2016 from 854,100 to over 1.4 million, the majority of whom were children. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 3 SYRIA. CHILDREN FROM AN ORPHANAGE IN HOMS TAKE THE BUS TO SCHOOL. Mohammed A. and Mohammed C. take a bus to school from an orphanage in Homs. Due to the conflict, they and their siblings have lost many loved ones and been separated from their families. © U N H C R /A N D R E W M C C O N N E L L CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER AFFECTED BY FORCED DISPLACEMENT 4 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 For a world in conflict, what is needed is determination and courage, not fear. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi Over the past two decades, the global population of forcibly displaced people has grown substantially from 33.9 million in 1997 to 65.6 million in 2016, and it remains at a record high (see Figure 1). 6 Most of this increase was concentrated between 2012 and 2015, driven mainly by the Syrian conflict. But this rise also was due to other conflicts in the region such as in Iraq and Yemen, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa including Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan. The increase of recent years has led to a major increase in displacement: from about 1 in 160 people a decade ago to 1 in 113 today. Although still at a record high at the end of 2016, the growth in the number of people who have been forcibly displaced has slowed for the first time in recent years. However, large numbers of people were on the move in 2016 and affected by forced displacement, with many people newly displaced as well as large numbers of returning refugees and IDPs. During the year, 10.3 million people were newly displaced, including 3.4 million who sought protection abroad7 and 6.9 million people who were forced to flee but remained in their own countries. 8 These 10.3 million new displacements equated to an average of 20 people being newly displaced every minute of every day in 2016 (Figure 2). Still, many others returned to their countries or areas of origin to try to rebuild their lives, including 6.5 million internally displaced people (IDPs) and over 550,000 refugees. 6 These included 22.5 million refugees: 17.2 million under UNHCR’s mandate and 5.3 million Palestinian refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The global figure also included 40.3 million internally displaced persons (source: IDMC) and 2.8 million individuals whose asylum applications had not yet been adjudicated by the end of the reporting period. 7 Consisting of 2.0 million new individual claims for asylum and 1.4 million new refugees recognized on a prima facie or group basis. 8 Based on a global estimate from IDMC. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 5 CHAPTER 1 10 70 9 60 8 50 7 6 40 5 30 4 3 20 2 10 1 0 0 97 98 99 00 01 Refugees and asylum-seekers 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 Internally displaced persons Some countries were especially affected by forced displacement in 2016. Syrians continued to be the largest forcibly displaced population, with 12 million people at the end of 2016; that included 5.5 million refugees, 6.3 million IDPs, and nearly 185,000 asylum-seekers (Figure 3). Colombians were the second-largest group, with 7.7 million forcibly displaced, mostly inside their country.9 A total of 4.7 million Afghans were also forcibly displaced, of whom 1.8 million were IDPs and 2.9 million were refugees or asylum-seekers. Other large displaced populations at the end of 2016 – those with over 2 million people displaced, either internally or as refugees or asylum-seekers – were from Iraq (4.2 million), South Sudan (3.3 million), Sudan (2.9 million), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2.9 million), Somalia (2.6 million), Nigeria (2.5 million), Ukraine (2.1 million), and Yemen (2.1 million). Looking at the forcibly displaced as a proportion of the national population,10 the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) was the most affected. With 650 out of every 1,000 people forcibly displaced, Syria is the only country in which the experience of forced displacement now affects the majority of the population. The next most affected countries were South Sudan with 259 people forcibly displaced per 1,000 and Somalia with 238. Other countries where more than 1 in 10 people were forcibly displaced at 6 Proportion displaced (number displaced per 1,000 world population) Displaced population (millions) Figure 1 Trend of global displacement & proportion displaced 1997-2016 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Proportion displaced end-2016 included Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Colombia and Iraq. While the magnitude of forced displacement generated by the conflict in Syria may have overshadowed other crises and conflicts, other emergencies also had deep consequences in 2016. These continued to cause significant humanitarian needs, especially in the countries least able to respond to them. The war in South Sudan led to a rapid outflow of refugees and many new IDP displacements, accelerating in the second half of the year; overall, the refugee population from South Sudan grew by 85 per cent during the year. 9 The large number of registered IDPs in Colombia comes from the total cumulative figure recorded in the Government’s Victims Registry, which commenced in 1985. 10 Source for national populations: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2015). World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision (medium fertility variant projection for 2016). See: https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/. The current estimate for 2016 is thought to be an over-estimate of the national population in certain countries particularly affected by forced displacement abroad. Nationals abroad have not been included in the population estimate. Therefore, this measure is seen as indicative only. The population estimate used will be revisited in July 2017, when the new World Population Prospects will be published and revised figures published in the online edition. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 1 Number of people newly displaced per minute Figure 2 Newly displaced persons per minute 2003 - 2016 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Similarly, the refugee population from Burundi increased by 39 per cent during 2016 while the IDP population in that country quadrupled to 141,200 people. Conflict and violence also continued in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Ukraine, and Yemen, leading to new displacements and inhibiting returns. Around half of refugees were children in 2016. Without the protection of family or kin, unaccompanied and separated children are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse. The number of such children who were reported as having applied for asylum reached 75,000 during the year, although this number is considered to be an underestimate.12 In 2016, the South Sudanese refugee crisis was the fastest growing in the world.11 The large number of infants, children, and pregnant women among the South Sudanese refugees made the humanitarian response particularly challenging. South Sudan and the neighbouring countries are among the poorest and least developed countries in the world, with limited resources to deal with the needs and challenges associated with hosting displaced people. In 2016, more refugees and IDPs returned to their countries or areas of origin than in 2015. Some half a million refugees returned to their countries of origin in 2016, the majority to Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan, compared with 201,400 in 2015, but these numbers remained low at only 3 per cent of the overall refugee population. About 6.5 million IDPs returned to their areas of origin, representing 18 per cent of the population. However, the context in which many displaced people returned was complex, leading to concerns that many returns may not be sustainable. Resettlement provided a solution for 189,300 refugees. Although most refugees remained close to home, some moved further afield, often seeking international protection in a small number of countries. In 2015 and 2016, many people risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea in search of safety and protection. As a result, some countries in Europe experienced an increase in their refugee and asylum-seeker population. In Germany, this population rose to 1.3 million people by the end of 2016, while in Sweden it reached 313,300. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 11 Operational data show this trend has continued in 2017. See: http://data.unhcr.org/SouthSudan/regional.php. 12 The estimate does not include data from all countries, including three important asylum countries: the Russian Federation, South Africa, and the United States of America. Furthermore, UNHCR’s data compile asylum applications on an annual basis. They do not include unaccompanied and separated children who are recognized as refugees, nor do they reflect total numbers of both asylum-seeking and refugee unaccompanied and separated children. 7 CHAPTER 1 CHAD. HAWA FLED BOKO HARAM AND IS INTERNALLY DISPLACED. She walked for two days to reach safety in Kafia Camp in Baga Sola, Chad. Hawa and other survivors of Boko Haram fled their homes in fear of their lives. She used one word to describe why she and other Chadians fled their homes - fear. © U N H C R / R O B E R TA R U S S O 8 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 1 400 6 300 4 200 2 100 0 0 itr Er p. Re D em Ce .R nt ep ra .o lA ft fri ca n Ye m in er ig ra ia al N Uk he m ng Co Su Su h So n da n da q ut ta is an Ira So a bi Af gh m lo Co Sy r Forcibly displaced per 1,000 population 8 ea 500 en 10 e 600 ia 12 o 700 n 14 ia Forcibly displaced population (millions) Figure 3 Forcibly displaced population and proportion of population forcibly displaced end-2016 Forcibly displaced population Forcibly displaced per 1,000 population In March 2016, the United Nations Statistical Commission, at its 47th session, decided to establish an Expert Group on Refugee and IDP Statistics (EGRIS).13 The group consists of participants from national authorities, international statistical organizations, and other technical experts, led by Statistics Norway, Eurostat, and UNHCR, and aims to address the challenges related to refugee and IDP statistics. The EGRIS was mandated to develop: 1) International Recommendations on Refugee Statistics, which will be a reference guide for national and international work concerning statistics on refugee and asylumseekers; 2) Refugee Statistics Compilers’ Manual with operational instructions on how to implement the international recommendations; and 3) Technical Report outlining a way forward for similar work for IDP statistics. This Global Trends report analyses statistical trends and changes of global displacement from January to December 2016 in populations for whom UNHCR has been entrusted with a responsibility by the international community, including refugees, asylum-seekers, returnees, stateless persons, and UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 certain groups of internally displaced people.14 The data presented are based on information available as of 15 May 2017 unless otherwise indicated. The figures in this report are based on data reported by governments, non-governmental organizations, and UNHCR. The numbers are rounded to the closest hundred or thousand. As some adjustments may appear in the 2016 Statistical Yearbook to be released at a later date, the figures contained in this report should be considered as provisional and subject to change. Unless otherwise specified, the report does not refer to events occurring after 31 December 2016. 13 For more information, see http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/ expert-group-on-refugee-statistics/home. 14 See p. 56 for a definition of each population group. 9 Persons under UNH mandate Map 11 Populations Populations of byby category end-2016 Map ofconcern concerntotoUNHCR UNHCR category end-2016 Refugees, including persons in a refugee-like situation Turkey Lebanon Others of concern South Africa IDPs protected/assisted by UNHCR, including persons in an IDP-like situation Syrian Arab Republic Sudan Others of concern to UNHCR Iraq Turkey Italy Persons under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate an Arab Republic Malaysia Côte d'Ivoire Syrian Arab Republic Nigeria Germany United States of America Iraq Sudan Colombia DR of the Congo Number of person 5,000,000 1,000,000 100,000 Islamic Rep. of Iran endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. Sudan aq UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 a non 10 Pakistan Nations. A country is listed if it features among the top-5 per population group. rab Republic top-5 per population group. United Rep. of Tanzania Bosnia and Herzegovina Yemen Iraq Asylum-seekers (pending cases) Uganda Uganda Afghanistan Thailand Islamic Rep. of Iran South Sudan Pakistan Myanmar Pakistan HCR’s statelessness Returned refugees, returned IDPsIDPs Returned refugees, returned Iraq Iraq Syrian Arab Republic Myanmar Pakistan Pakistan Yemen Yemen SouthSouth Sudan Sudan Nigeria Nigeria Thailand Côte d'Ivoire Persons under UNHCR’s statelessness Persons under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate mandate Syrian Arab Arab Republic Syrian Republic to UNHCR Myanmar Myanmar Thailand Thailand Côte Côte d'Ivoire d'Ivoire Bosnia and Herzegovina Afghanistan Others of concern to UNHCR Others of concern to UNHCR Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina Malaysia Uganda Afghanistan Afghanistan United Rep. of Tanzania -5 per population group. Malaysia Malaysia Uganda Uganda United Rep. of Tanzania United Rep. of Tanzania tions. UNHCR > GLOBAL GLOBALTRENDS TRENDS2016 2016 11 CHAPTER 2 TURKEY. FIRAS, A DISABLED SYRIAN REFUGEE, STRUGGLES TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY. He and his older son, aged seven, collect recyclables to support the rest of the family. © U N H C R /A N D R E W M C C O N N E L L 12 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 2 …the protection of refugees is not only the responsibility of neighbouring States of a crisis; it is a collective responsibility of the international community. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General CHAPTER 2 REFUGEES GLOBAL REFUGEE POPULATION IS HIGHEST ON RECORD The global refugee population stood at 22.5 million at the end of 2016, including 5.3 million Palestinian refugees under UNRWA’s mandate, and is now at the highest level ever recorded. There were 17.2 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate,15 the focus of this report and, unless otherwise stated, all reference to refugees in this report refers to these refugees. Refugees may be recognized on a group or prima facie basis, or they may be recognized as refugees after having undergone a process of individual status determination. In 2016, there were about 2.3 million newly recognized refugees. Of them, over half were recognized on a group or prima facie basis (1.4 million),16 and the rest were recognized following individual refugee status determination (876,900).17 Overall, the refugee population under UNHCR’s mandate increased by some 65 per cent over the past five years. The change in the refugee population is due mainly to refugees returning to their countries of origin and new or continuing conflicts fuelling new refugee outflows. While still growing, the rate of growth is the slowest since 2012. Over the course of 2016, the refugee population increased by 1.1 million or 7 per cent, while in 2015 this figure increased by about 1.7 million (12 per cent) and in 2014 by some 2.2 million (23 per cent). The conflict in Syria dominated figures for newly recognized refugees in 2016 with 824,400 new recognitions, making this the most common country of origin. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 15 This figure includes some 654,000 persons in refugee-like situations, with about 243,000 in Bangladesh, 164,200 in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, 52,200 in Thailand, and 42,300 in Ecuador. 16 Also referred to as new refugee arrivals. 17 For statistical purposes, this report does not distinguish between asylum-seekers recognized as refugees or those accorded a complementary form of protection such as subsidiary status, and the term recognition is used here to also refer to the granting of these complementary forms of protection. 13 CHAPTER 2 Table 1 Refugee population by UNHCR regions e nd-2016 UNHCR regions Refugees - Central Africa and Great Lakes - East and Horn of Africa - Southern Africa Start-2016 End-2016 People in refugeelike situations People in refugeelike situations Total refugees Refugees Change (total) Total refugees Absolute % 1,173,400 15,900 1,189,200 1,355,200 26,700 1,381,900 192,700 16 2,739,400 - 2,739,400 3,290,400 - 3,290,400 551,000 20 189,800 - 189,800 162,100 - 162,100 -27,700 -15 - West Africa 295,000 - 295,000 300,600 - 300,600 5,600 2 Total Africa* 4,397,600 15,900 4,413,400 5,108,300 26,700 5,135,100 721,700 16 Americas 496,400 250,400 746,800 471,200 221,500 692,700 -54,100 -7 Asia and Pacific 3,568,100 278,300 3,846,500 3,177,800 300,000 3,477,800 -368,700 -10 Europe 4,358,000 28,800 4,386,800 5,152,700 47,300 5,199,900 813,100 19 thereof: Turkey 2,541,400 - 2,541,400 2,869,400 - 2,869,400 328,000 13 Middle East and North Africa 2,675,500 58,500 2,734,000 2,623,400 58,500 2,682,000 -52,000 -2 15,495,600 631,900 16,127,500 16,533,400 654,000 17,187,500 1,060,000 7 Total * Excluding North Africa. However, crises in sub-Saharan Africa also led to significant refugee movement. There were 737,400 newly recognized refugees from South Sudan, mostly in the second half of 2016, followed by Burundi (121,700 newly recognized), Iraq (81,900), Eritrea (69,600), Afghanistan (69,500), and Nigeria (64,700). Offsetting these growth trends, there also were 552,200 refugee returns during the year, as well as approximately 189,300 people resettled and 23,000 known naturalizations of refugees.18 Due mainly to the crisis in Syria, the number of refugees in Europe continued to rise. At year-end, Turkey hosted the largest number of refugees (2.9 million, mostly from Syria), while the rest of the European countries hosted 2.3 million refugees (Table 1). Sub-Saharan Africa hosted a large and growing number of refugees (constituting a 16 per cent increase over 2015), due mainly to refugees from Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. In sub-Saharan Africa, the vast majority of refugees remained in the immediately neighbouring countries (see Annex Table 28 for list of countries by UNHCR region). COU NTR I E S O F A SY LU M Developing regions continued to share a disproportionately large responsibility for hosting refugees. Nine of the top 10 refugee-hosting countries were in developing regions, according to 14 the United Nations Statistics Division classification (Figure 4).19 Three of these (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Uganda) were classified as least developed countries, 20 facing severe structural impediments to sustainable development in addition to the challenges of large refugee flows. As in 2015, Turkey was the country hosting the largest refugee population, with 2.9 million refugees at the end of 2016, up from 2.5 million in December 2015. The vast majority of refugees in Turkey were from Syria: More than 2.8 million Syrian refugees represented more than 98 per cent of the entire refugee population in Turkey, with about 330,000 newly registered Syrian refugees. In addition, 30,400 refugees from Iraq were registered in Turkey, as well as smaller numbers from the Islamic Republic of Iran (7,000), Afghanistan (3,400), and Somalia (2,200). Pakistan had the second-largest refugee population, despite declining numbers mainly through refugee returns. At the end of 2015, Pakistan hosted 1.6 million refugees; by the end of 2016, this number had decreased to 1.4 million, driven largely by some 380,000 departures. 21 The refugee population in Pakistan continued to be almost exclusively from Afghanistan. 18 See Chapter 3 for more details on solutions. 19 See https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ for a list of countries included under each region. 20 See https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ for a list of least developed countries. 21 Pakistan hosted large numbers of undocumented Afghans. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 2 Figure 4 Major refugee-hosting countries *Turkey Pakistan Lebanon Islamic Rep. of Iran Uganda Ethiopia **Jordan Germany DR of the Congo Kenya 0 0.5 end-2016 * 1.0 end-2015 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 Refugee population (millions) Refugee figure for Syrians in Turkey was a Government estimate. ** Includes 33,100 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 includes refugees and other categories of Iraqis. The refugee population in Lebanon also reduced slightly, mainly due to data reconciliation, deregistration, and departures for resettlement. However, Lebanon still hosted just over 1.0 million refugees at the end of 2016, compared with just under 1.1 million in 2015 and 1.2 million refugees in 2014. The majority of refugees in Lebanon are from Syria (1.0 million), with 6,500 from Iraq. The registered refugee population in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the fourth-largest refugee-hosting country, remained unchanged at 979,400 people at the end of 2016. 22 country to 338,800 people, up from 281,500 the previous year. There were 242,000 refugees from Somalia, a slight decrease from 2015, while significant numbers of refugees from Eritrea (165,600) and Sudan (39,900) remained in Ethiopia by the end of 2016. Jordan experienced a small increase in its refugee population, providing protection to 685,200 people by the end of 2016, up from 664,100 in 2015 and making it the seventh-largest refugee-hosting country in the world. The vast majority of these refugees were from Syria (648,800), while 33,100 were from Iraq and 2,200 from Sudan. Uganda experienced a dramatic increase in the refugee population, mostly in the second half of 2016. At the end of 2015, there were 477,200 refugees in the country, a number that had nearly doubled to 940,800 a year later. Most new arrivals came from South Sudan, with refugees from that country accounting for 639,000 people or 68 per cent of the total refugee population. Significant numbers of refugees in Uganda also originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (205,400), Burundi (41,000), Somalia (30,700), and Rwanda (15,200). In Germany, the refugee population increased considerably, mainly due to new decisions on asylum claims of those who arrived during 2015 and early 2016. At the end of 2015, the refugee population was 316,100, while a year later this number stood at 669,500. Most were refugees from Syria (375,100), while other countries of origin included Iraq (86,000), Afghanistan (46,300), Eritrea (30,000), the Islamic Republic of Iran (22,900), and Turkey (19,100). The refugee population in Ethiopia also increased during 2016, reaching 791,600 people. The majority of arrivals came from South Sudan, bringing the total number of South Sudanese refugees in the 22 The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran registers all refugees in the country. With the exception of refugees in settlements, UNHCR has most recently received only the aggregate number of refugees from the Government in May 2015. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 15 CHAPTER 2 TANZANIA. REFUGEES RELIEVED TO ESCAPE ESCALATING VIOLENCE IN BURUNDI. Refugees arrive at UNHCR’s Nduta camp in the Kigoma District of Tanzania. They are welcomed with emergency assistance and provided with temporary shelter. © UNHCR/SEBASTIAN RICH Continuing conflicts in Burundi and South Sudan resulted in growing numbers of refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That country hosted 452,000 refugees at the end of 2016, compared with 383,100 at the beginning of the year. The number of refugees from South Sudan jumped more than tenfold from 5,600 to 66,700 over the year, while the number from Burundi rose from 23,200 to 36,300. The largest refugee populations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continued to be from Rwanda (245,100) and the Central African Republic (102,500). The refugee population in Kenya declined during 2016 from 553,900 to 451,100, a decrease of nearly 20 per cent. Still, Kenya hosted the 10th-largest refugee population globally. The number of Somali refugees in the country decreased from 417,900 to 324,400 during the year, mainly due to reverification exercises, returning refugees and, to a lesser extent, resettlement. In addition to Somalis, significant numbers of refugees from South Sudan (87,100), Ethiopia (19,100), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (13,300) remained in Kenya at the end of 2016. 16 COU NTR I E S O F O R I G I N Altogether, refugees from the top 10 countries of origin accounted for 13.5 million refugees, or 79 per cent of the global refugee population under UNHCR’s mandate – an increasing proportion compared with 2015 (76 per cent). With the exception of Syria, these are all considered least developed countries.23 The main country of origin for refugees in 2016 was Syria, with 5.5 million refugees at the end of the year, an increase over the 4.9 million a year earlier. While these refugees were hosted by some 123 countries on six continents, the vast majority (87 per cent) remained in neighbouring countries. Turkey hosted the largest population of Syrian refugees, increasing throughout 2016 and peaking at 2.8 million by the end of the year. Other countries in the region with significant numbers of Syrian refugees included Lebanon (1.0 million), Jordan (648,800), Iraq (230,800), and Egypt (116,000). Outside the region, countries with large Syrian 23 See https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ for a list of least developed countries. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 2 Figure 5 Major source countries of refugees Syrian Arab Rep. Afghanistan South Sudan Somalia Sudan DR of the Congo Central African Rep. Myanmar Eritrea Burundi 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Refugee population (millions) end-2016 end-2015 refugee populations included Germany (375,100), Sweden (96,900), Austria (31,000), and the Netherlands (28,400). Refugees from Afghanistan comprised the secondlargest group by country of origin, although their numbers decreased. At the end of 2016, there were 2.5 million Afghan refugees, compared with 2.7 million a year earlier. While this decline was mainly due to returns from Pakistan, that country nonetheless continued to host the largest Afghan refugee population (1.4 million). The Islamic Republic of Iran reported 951,100 Afghan refugees.24 In Germany, the number of Afghan refugees grew to 46,300 by the end of 2016, followed by Austria (20,200), Sweden (16,600), Italy (16,000), and Greece (11,400). The crisis in South Sudan led to a substantial increase in people fleeing the country, especially in the second half of 2016. During the year, the number of refugees from South Sudan nearly doubled, increasing from 778,700 at end-2015 to over 1.4 million people at end-2016. The situation in South Sudan is described in more detail on pages 30-33. The number of Somali refugees worldwide decreased slightly, mainly due to verification exercises in and returns from Kenya. At the end of 2015, there were 1.1 million Somali refugees, a number that decreased to 1.0 million by the end of 2016. Kenya continued to host the largest Somali refugee population, with 324,400. This was followed UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 by Yemen, where the population increased slightly to 255,100 due to both natural growth and new recognitions, despite the ongoing conflict there. Ethiopia hosted 242,000 Somali refugees at the end of 2016, followed by Uganda (30,700), South Africa (28,700), Sweden (22,500), the Netherlands (16,500), and Italy (14,300). The number of refugees originating from Sudan reached 650,600 by the end of 2016, up from 627,100 the previous year. Chad continued to host the largest Sudanese refugee population with 312,500, while 241,500 Sudanese refugees were living in South Sudan. Other countries hosting a significant Sudanese refugee population at end-2016 included Ethiopia (39,900), Egypt (13,800), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) (7,300), and France (7,000). 24 The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran registers all refugees in the country. With the exception of refugees in settlements, UNHCR has most recently received only the aggregate number of refugees from the Government in May 2015. 17 CHAPTER 2 UGANDA. SOUTH SUDANESE REFUGEES CROSS THE KAYA RIVER TO SAFETY USING A BRIDGE BUILT BY UNHCR. Uganda’s asylum policy and refugee settlement approach is regarded as progressive and an example for other countries around the world to follow. © U N H C R /A L E S S A N D R O P E N S O 18 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 2 At the year’s end, the Democratic Republic of the Congo represented the sixth-largest country of origin, with 537,500 refugees, a small decrease compared with the end of 2015. The majority of refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo were hosted by nearby countries including Uganda with a population of 205,400, Rwanda (73,100), 25 Burundi (57,100), the United Republic of Tanzania (Tanzania) (50,300), Zambia (21,300), South Sudan (14,500), Angola (12,900), the Republic of the Congo (Congo) (12,300), and Zimbabwe (5,900). Substantial refugee populations were also hosted by South Africa (26,200), France (15,000), and Kenya (13,300). Violence in the Central African Republic continued to force people to flee, with refugee numbers increasing from 471,100 to 490,900 during 2016. The overwhelming proportion of refugees found asylum in neighbouring countries. Cameroon hosted most of these refugees with 283,600 at the end of 2016, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (102,500), Chad (70,200), and Congo (24,500). The number of refugees from Myanmar rose to 490,300 by the end of 2016, from 451,800 the previous year. Bangladesh continued to host the largest number of these refugees (276,200). 26 Other countries with large numbers of refugees from Myanmar included Thailand (102,600), Malaysia (87,000), and India (15,600). Eritrea remained the ninth-largest country of origin with 459,400 refugees at the end of 2016, a notable increase from late 2015 when this population stood at 407,500. Most Eritrean refugees were hosted by Ethiopia (165,500) and Sudan (103,200), but many also sought protection farther away, such as in Germany (30,000), Israel (27,800), 27 Switzerland (26,300), and Sweden (26,000). The number of refugees from Burundi, the 10thlargest refugee-producing country, increased by nearly 40 per cent during 2016, rising from 292,800 at the start of the year to 408,100 by year-end. Nearly all of these refugees (97 per cent) were located in neighbouring countries, with Tanzania hosting 230,900 Burundian refugees, followed by Rwanda (82,900), Uganda (41,000), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (36,300). UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 Other major countries of origin for refugees in 2016 were Viet Nam (329,400), 28 Iraq (316,000), Colombia (311,100), Rwanda (286,100), Ukraine (239,100), and Nigeria (229,300). N E W R E F UG E E A R R I VA L S During 2016, more than 1.4 million refugees were newly displaced. 29 This was less than in 2015, when 1.8 million refugees were newly displaced, and significantly lower than 2014 (2.9 million). Uganda reported the largest number of new refugees in 2016, with 514,000 new arrivals, mostly in the second half of the year. Nearly all of these new refugees (489,000) originated from South Sudan, with a smaller number from Burundi (18,600). Turkey registered 328,900 Syrian refugees. 30 The conflict in South Sudan also affected other countries, with Sudan registering 102,800 new arrivals, almost entirely from South Sudan. The Democratic Republic of the Congo registered 82,700 new refugees, with 61,100 originating from South Sudan and 13,200 from Burundi. Other countries registering significant numbers of new refugee arrivals in 2016 included Ethiopia (81,100), Tanzania (71,800), Niger (43,400), Cameroon (40,800), Jordan (38,300), Kenya (23,500), and Russia (22,000). In 2016, there were 736,200 new refugees from South Sudan. The majority fled to Uganda, but significant numbers also went to Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia (55,600), Kenya (22,600), and the Central African Republic (5,000). This influx was concentrated mostly in the second half of the year. 25 Government estimates are higher than UNHCR estimates reported here. 26 Out of the 276,200 refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh, 243,000 are persons in a refugee-like situation. 27 Data relate to end-2015. 28 Nearly all Vietnamese refugees are hosted by China and are considered to be well integrated into Chinese society. 29 The figure of newly displaced refugees refers to refugees recognized on a group or prima facie basis in 2016, and does not include refugees recognized following a refugee status determination process. 30 In Turkey, Syrian refugees are granted temporary protection on a group basis under the Temporary Protection regime, whereas other nationalities undergo an individual refugee status determination procedure. There may be a lag between arrival and registration. 19 CHAPTER 2 Figure 6 Number of refugees per 1,000 inhabitants end-2016* Lebanon Jordan Turkey Chad Sweden Uganda South Sudan Djibouti Malta Mauritania 0 40 80 120 160 200 Refugees per 1,000 inhabitants, end-2016 * Only countries with national populations over 100,000 were considered. With no end in sight to the conflict in Syria, some 410,800 refugees from that country were newly registered. Most Syrian refugees sought protection in the immediate region, with 328,900 granted temporary protection in Turkey. An additional 37,900 were registered in Jordan, followed by Egypt (14,600), Iraq (13,600), and Lebanon (13,200). CO NTR I BUTI O N S O F H OST COU NTR I E S Already limited resources were further strained by the rapid increase in refugees from some of the world’s poorest countries fleeing to some of the world’s least developed countries. While the magnitude of the refugee population is an important factor, the size of a host country’s population, economy and development level also are central when considering the burden of hosting refugees. The size of a national population is important for estimating the impact of large numbers of refugees on a country in socio-demographic terms (Figure 6). 31 Using this measure, the countries receiving refugees fleeing Syria experienced the highest numbers, reflecting the magnitude of the Syrian crisis. Lebanon continued to host a particularly large refugee population relative to its national size, with 169 refugees for every 1,000 Lebanese. 32 20 Jordan and Turkey also hosted large refugee populations relative to national population size. In 2016, low- and middle-income countries in developing regions were disproportionately affected by hosting refugees, with some 84 per cent of all refugees living in these regions. 33 The least developed countries, such as Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda, hosted 4.9 million refugees, 28 per cent of the global total. As low-income countries, these already face severe structural barriers to economic growth and development, and usually have the least resources to respond to the needs of people seeking refuge. 34 31 Source for national populations: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2015). World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision (medium fertility variant projection for 2016). See: https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/. 32 These figures do not include Palestinian refugees under UNRWA’s mandate who numbered 463,700 in Lebanon and 2.2 million in Jordan. 33 See https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ for a list of countries included under each region. 34 See https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ for a list of least developed countries. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 2 Figure 7 Number of refugees per one million US dollars GDP end-2016 South Sudan Chad Uganda Niger Lebanon Rwanda Burundi Jordan Mauritania Cameroon 0 20 40 60 80 100 Refugees per million dollars GDP (current prices), end-2016 The size of a country’s economy can be estimated, with limitations, by its gross domestic product (GDP). 35 Comparing the overall size of a host country’s economy to the size of the refugee population indicates the economic resources that may be available to meet the needs of the refugee population (Figure 7). By this measure, the burden was greatest among the world’s poorest countries which hosted significant refugee populations compared to the size of their economies. For example, Chad had the fourth-largest refugee population relative to its national population, but it was 186th out of 188 countries in terms of the HDI. Similarly, South Sudan was ranked 181st in terms of its HDI but seventh with respect to the refugee population. Although Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey hosted large refugee populations, they also had much higher levels of human development by this measure. Examples here include Chad, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda. Eight of the 10 countries hosting the most refugees relative to the size of their national economies were in Africa. While Lebanon and Jordan are middle-income countries, the high number of refugees they hosted relative to the overall size of the economy meant that their economic burdens were notable nonetheless. The development level of a country can be assessed in many ways. For the purposes of this report, the 2015 Human Development Index (HDI) produced by the United Nations Development Programme was used to reflect a country’s level of development. 36 Many countries with the lowest level of human development – those already struggling to meet the sustainable development needs of their national populations – also faced the challenges of hosting a large refugee population. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 35 Source for economy size: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, April 2017; see: https://www.imf. org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2017/01/weodata/index.aspx, Gross Domestic Product (current prices). In previous publications, the economic measure was number of refugees per 1 USD GPD (PPP) per capita. In order to better reflect economic impact, the measure has been changed. If desired, the previous measure can be calculated using the link to the data above. 36 See: http://hdr.undp.org/en/data. 21 CHAPTER 2 PROTRACTED REFUGEE SITUATIONS Traditionally, a protracted refugee situation has been defined by UNHCR as one in which 25,000 or more refugees from the same nationality have been in exile for five consecutive years or more in a given asylum country. 37 This criterion clearly has limitations, as displacement situations are dynamic: Refugee populations change due to new arrivals and returns that are not captured under this definition. Furthermore, smaller refugee situations might not be included even if the displacement is prolonged, especially if refugees from one nationality are in various countries of asylum. There are significant differences between protracted situations, with implications for operational policies and prioritization. In order to better understand these protracted situations, it is important to further explore their characteristics in terms of duration and numbers of people affected (Figure 9). Based on the existing definition, 11.6 million refugees, representing some two-thirds of all refugees, were in protracted refugee situations at the end of 2016. Of this number, 4.1 million were in a situation lasting 20 years or more. The situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran has involved large numbers of people – combined, more than 2 million – and has lasted more than 30 years. There were 5.6 million people in protracted situations of shorter duration (between five and nine years), most of them Syrian refugees. While most protracted situations are in Africa, these tend to be smaller or of shorter duration than the situations in other regions. The Palestinian refugees in Egypt are the longest protracted situation under UNHCR’s mandate, while continued conflict in Afghanistan sustains another long-standing refugee situation. Compared with previous years, the number of refugees in a protracted situation increased in 2016, with the inclusion of some of the countries that received Syrian refugees during the past five years. However, as a proportion of the global refugee population, the percentage is similar to 2010 and 2011 (Figure 8). 37 Only refugees under UNHCR’s mandate are considered in this analysis, which includes Palestine refugees in Egypt. 14 80% 12 70% 10 60% 50% 8 40% 6 Per cent in protracted situation Refugee population (millions) Figure 8 Refugees in a protracted situation 2009-2016 30% 4 20% 2 10% 0 0% 2009 2010 Refugees in protracted situation 22 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Proportion in protracted situation UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 2 Figure 9 Protracted refugee situations catagorized by size Protracted refugee situations, categorized by size >=25,000, <100,000 Origin ’60 >=100,000, <500,000 ’65 ’70 >=500,000 ’75 ’80 ’85 ’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’10 ’15 Country of asylum Afghanistan Iran (Islamic Rep. of) Afghanistan Pakistan United Rep. of Tanzania Burundi Central African Rep. Central African Rep. Cameroon Chad China India Colombia Ecuador Colombia Venezuela (Bolivarian Rep. of) DR of the Congo Burundi DR of the Congo Rwanda DR of the Congo Uganda DR of the Congo United Rep. of Tanzania Eritrea Ethiopia Eritrea Israel Eritrea Sudan Iraq Iran (Islamic Rep. of) Iraq Jordan Mali Burkina Faso Mali Mauritania Mali Niger Myanmar Bangladesh Myanmar Malaysia Myanmar Thailand Egypt Palestinian Rwanda DR of the Congo Somalia Ethiopia Somalia Kenya Somalia Yemen Sri Lanka India Sudan Chad Sudan Ethiopia Sudan South Sudan Syrian Arab Rep. Iraq Syrian Arab Rep. Jordan Syrian Arab Rep. Lebanon Syrian Arab Rep. Turkey Viet Nam China Western Sahara Algeria Western Sahara Mauritania ’60 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 ’65 ’70 ’75 ’80 ’85 ’90 ’95 ’00 ’05 ’10 ’15 23 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 3 SOLUTIONS REFUGEES NEED LONG-LASTING SOLUTIONS TO LIVE IN DIGNITY AND PEACE In addition to providing international protection, finding durable solutions that enable displaced people to rebuild their lives and live in dignity and peace is a core part of UNHCR’s work and mandate. Traditionally, durable solutions include voluntary repatriation, resettlement to a third country, and local integration. These approaches have proven inadequate, however, as a growing number of people of concern to UNHCR remained in precarious protection situations and with little hope of a durable solution in the future. Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) for emergencies and protracted situations of forced displacement. 44 This was a recognition that situation-specific comprehensive approaches are required to find durable solutions, together with engaging governments, humanitarian and development actors, and refugees. A key goal of the CRRF is to encourage greater international cooperation to ensure protection and find solutions for refugees, and to identify new approaches and pathways to protection and solutions. On 19 September 2016, UN Member States adopted the ‘New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants’, committing to develop a 24 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 3 CANADA. HELPING SYRIAN FAMILIES SETTLE. Marion is one of a group of sponsors who organize social outings and help Syrian families with everyday tasks, creating powerful bonds with the community. Here she plays with the children of the Nouman family on a beach in Toronto. © U N H C R /A N N I E S A K K A B VO LU NTA RY R E PATR I ATI O N Voluntary repatriation remains the main durable solution. To be successful and ensure it is conducted in safety and dignity, both countries of origin and asylum need to be fully committed to a process in which decisions are made voluntarily, without coercion, and are based on objective information. Sufficient support and assistance need to be provided for returning refugees to be reintegrated into their own communities and to enhance the prospects of the reintegration being sustainable. The number of refugees returning to their countries of origin substantially increased during 2016, more UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 than doubling to 552,200 from 201,400 in 2015, the highest figure since 2008 (Figure 10). 45 Most of the returning refugees (500,300) received UNHCR assistance, some 90 per cent of this population. Returnees have represented less than 5 per cent of the overall refugee population since 2013, well below the number of newly arrived each year, mainly due to an absence of conditions conducive to returns in countries of origin. 44 See: http://www.unhcr.org/new-york-declaration-for-refugees-andmigrants.html. 45 Based on consolidated reports from countries of asylum (departure) and countries of origin (return). 25 CHAPTER 3 25% 3.0 2.5 20% 2.0 15% 1.5 10% 1.0 5% 0.5 0.0 0 92 94 96 Number of returned refugees 98 00 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 Percentage of refugee population In addition, the context in which some refugees are returning to their home countries is complex with many situations still fragile and unstable, leading to concerns that many returns may not be sustainable. For sustainable returns to keep pace with the number of new refugees, concerted efforts are required to address root causes leading to displacement and to support the sustainable reintegration of those choosing to return. The number of countries or areas to which refugees have returned increased from 39 in 2015 to 40 in 2016. As in the previous year, Afghan returnees were the most numerous, with an increase to 384,000 in 2016 from 61,400 the previous year. The vast majority returned from Pakistan (381,300) and some from the Islamic Republic of Iran (2,300). Similarly, Sudan reported the second-largest number of refugee returns with 37,200, nearly all from Chad. About 36,100 returns to Somalia were reported, mostly from Kenya but with smaller numbers also from Yemen. Additionally, 34,400 refugees returned to the Central African Republic, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Cameroon. Other countries with large numbers of returns include Côte d’Ivoire (19,600), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (13,200), and Mali (9,800). 26 Percentage of overall refugee population Refugee returns (millions) Figure 10 Refugee returns (in millions) and as a percentage of the overall refugee population 1992-2016 Pakistan reported the largest number of repatriating refugees with 381,300 departures, all to Afghanistan. There were 49,900 refugee returns from Chad, with 37,200 people returning to Sudan and 12,700 to the Central African Republic. Kenya reported 33,800 departures, nearly all to Somalia. Other countries with sizable refugee departures in 2016 were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (21,900), Liberia (19,100), and South Sudan (13,200). R E S ET TLE M E NT Refugees may have sought protection in countries where their specific needs could not be met or where they were at risk. In these circumstances, UNHCR helps to resettle refugees in a third country, transferring them from a country of asylum to another State that has agreed to admit them as refugees and ultimately grant them permanent residence. Resettlement States provide a refugee with legal and physical protection, including access to civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights similar to those enjoyed by nationals. Several States offered more resettlement places in 2016. Some 15,000 new places were confirmed during and immediately after the high-level meeting UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 3 Figure 11 Resettlement of refugees 1994-2016 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 94 96 98 Total resettlement arrivals 00 02 06 08 10 12 14 16 UNHCR-assisted departures on global responsibility-sharing through pathways for admission of Syrian refugees, convened by UNHCR in March 2016. Additionally, several States, particularly in Europe and Latin America, established new resettlement programmes or made new resettlement commitments in 2016. As a result, 37 States took part in UNHCR’s resettlement programmes in 2016, compared with 33 in 2015. As the number of countries offering resettlement grew over the past few years, UNHCR intensified its efforts to provide guidance and support in building resettlement programmes that are sustainable. During 2016, the total number of refugees admitted for resettlement stood at 189,300, according to government statistics. This is a 77 per cent increase from the 107,100 reported in 2015 (Figure 11). Of the resettlement countries that received refugees during 2016, the United States of America admitted 51 per cent (96,900). Other countries that resettled large numbers of refugees in 2016 included Canada (46,700) and Australia (27,600). Syrian refugees were the largest population benefiting from resettlement (63,000 people), followed by those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (22,100), Iraq (14,700), and Somalia (12,200). During 2016, UNHCR referred 162,600 refugees for resettlement, a 21 per cent increase from 2015 and the highest number in about two decades. Syrians UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 04 constituted the single largest nationality submitted, with 77,200 individuals referred. The second-largest population was refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (22,800), followed by those from Iraq (12,800), Somalia (10,500), and Myanmar (10,100). These five nationalities represented more than 80 per cent of all submissions. The United States of America (107,700), Canada (19,800), and the United Kingdom (8,800) received 84 per cent of all UNHCR submissions made during the year. In total, refugees from 69 nationalities were submitted for resettlement from 83 countries or territories of asylum to 37 countries of resettlement. Not all cases for resettlement are submitted by UNHCR, and a number of States also accept family reunification cases independent of a UNHCR referral. LOC A L I NTE G R ATI O N Refugees may also be locally integrated as a durable solution. This is a complex and gradual process that involves a refugee finding a permanent home in the country of asylum and integrating into the community there. Separate but equally important legal, economic, social, and cultural aspects to local integration require efforts by all parties involved, including the integrating individual and the receiving society. 27 CHAPTER 3 Number of countries Figure 12 Number of countries reporting statistics on naturalized refugees 1997-2016 32 28 24 20 16 12 8 4 0 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 07 Given the complex issues involved in local integration, measuring and quantifying its success is challenging. Legally, the culmination of this process is usually reflected in obtaining durable legal status and, in some cases, naturalization in the country of asylum. Naturalization – the legal act or process by which a non-citizen in a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country – is used as a measure of local integration. However, even this crude proxy is limited by uneven availability of data and poor coverage as well as policy and legal changes over time. In particular, it can be difficult to distinguish between the naturalization of refugees and non-refugees. Therefore, the data are only indicative at best and provide an underestimate of the extent to which refugees are naturalized. 28 06 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 During 2016, 23 countries reported at least one naturalization of a refugee, compared with 28 the previous year (Figure 12). A total of 23,000 refugee naturalizations were reported to UNHCR in 2016, compared with 32,000 the previous year. Canada reported the largest such number, with 16,300 naturalizations, although this was considerably lower than the 25,900 naturalizations it reported in 2015. Other countries that reported significant numbers of naturalizations of refugees in 2016 were France (3,200), Belgium (1,400), and Austria (1,200). UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 3 COMPLEMENTARY PATHWAYS TO PROTECTION AND SOLUTIONS When durable solutions are not achievable for all refugees, non-traditional pathways can be used to access protection and sustainable solutions. ‘Complementary pathways’ are not meant to substitute the protection afforded to refugees under the international protection regime but rather to complement it. They serve as an important expression of solidarity and responsibility sharing, and they can make protection and solutions for refugees more accessible. 46 These safe and regulated avenues may include opportunities for private sponsorship programmes for refugees, family-based mobility, labour schemes, medical evacuation, and education programmes. Family reunion opportunities can offer safe and realistic pathways for family members who do not fall within resettlement or humanitarian admissions criteria. For example, the Government of Germany funded a project that facilitated family reunion of Syrian refugees located in Turkey and Lebanon with their family members in Germany. This initiative aimed at addressing existing practical, administrative, and legal obstacles to family reunification of those in need of international protection. Many States have demonstrated a willingness to bolster and expand pathways to solutions by adapting existing mobility routes for people in need of international protection. In Jordan and Lebanon, a civilsociety-based initiative is developing a ‘talent register’ to facilitate employment for refugees in third countries through labour mobility schemes, with over 4,000 refugees registered by December 2016. Employers in Canada and Australia have committed to work within the relevant skilled migration frameworks, to employ qualified refugees identified from the talent register. Education opportunities such as private, community, or institution-based study visas, scholarships, traineeship, and apprenticeship programmes also can serve as complementary pathways to legal solutions and help refugees to attain a durable solution in the future. 46 Given the range of channels offered in multiple States and different migration status of people that use them, the number of refugees and asylum-seekers who are able to make use complementary pathways cannot be reflected in statistics. FRANCE. AYA AND HER FAMILY CAN NOW CALL LAVAL HOME. Aya and her family were forced to flee their home in Idlib, Syria when their house was bombed in 2014. They lived in difficult conditions in Lebanon and Aya, who is disabled, was unable to receive medical care. Their resettlement to France took two years to complete but now they are able to call Laval home. © UNHCR /GILES DULE Y UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 29 UGANDA. FLEEING CONFLICT: SOUTH SUDANESE SEEK REFUGE IN UGANDA. On arrival at the Suluba Transit Center, these refugees will first receive medical treatment. Once registered they will be able to access the same public services as Ugandan nationals. © U N H C R /A L E S S A N D R O P E N S O SOUTH SUDAN CONFLICT 3.3 MILLION SOUTH SUDANESE FORCED FROM THEIR HOMES 1 out of every 4 South Sudanese has been displaced 1.4 million – fled as refugees to neighbouring countries, nearly 1 out of every 5 South Sudanese 99 per cent of this refugee population was hosted in neighbouring countries 30 ARMED CONFLICT COMBINED WITH ECONOMIC STAGNATION, DISEASE, AND FOOD INSECURITY HAS PLUNGED THE WORLD’S NEWEST COUNTRY INTO A DESPERATE SITUATION. DURING 2016, MORE SOUTH SUDANESE THAN EVER WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES TO SURVIVE. CONFLICT DISPLACED ABOUT 3.3 MILLION, OF WHOM AN ESTIMATED 1.9 MILLION REMAINED IN SOUTH SUDAN AND 1.4 MILLION FLED AS REFUGEES TO NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES, ALTOGETHER ABOUT 1 OUT OF EVERY 4 SOUTH SUDANESE HAS BEEN DISPLACED. MORE THAN 99 PER CENT OF THIS REFUGEE POPULATION WAS HOSTED IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES, WITH VERY FEW SEEKING PROTECTION FARTHER AFIELD. South Sudan became independent in July 2011, following wars that claimed over 2.5 million lives. Unfortunately, fighting erupted in late 2013 in the streets of the capital, Juba. Before long, the conflict spread to the three states of Greater Upper Nile. Since then, despite numerous talks and ceasefires, hostilities have engulfed the whole country. Large scale violence broke out in Juba in July 2016, which spread across the country, including to the formerly more peaceful areas of Equatoria, and accelerated new displacements. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 Map 2 South Sudanese Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons end-2016 SUDAN CHAPTER 2 297,200 Abyei 338,800 1,853,900 CENTRAL AFRICAN R E P U B L I C 4,900 ETHIOPIA SOUTH SUDAN Juba Refugee Camp Refugee Centre Number of refugees Number of IDPs 66,700 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO M A JO R PROTE C TI O N C R I S I S This devastating conflict has resulted in a protection crisis, both for the South Sudanese people and the 262,600 refugees living in South Sudan. It is difficult to deliver humanitarian assistance, especially for the most vulnerable groups, under these circumstances. Multiple abuses of human rights have been reported and documented, including violations of international humanitarian law. Many victims have been targeted on the basis of their ethnicity or presumed political allegiances. Incidents include targeted killings of civilians, including children, arbitrary arrests, detention, and alleged torture. There has been widespread destruction of civilian property, hospitals, and schools as well as looting and destruction of humanitarian property including attacks on UN personnel.38 Brutal sexual violence has been used on all sides as a tactic of war.39 UNICEF estimated that 16,000 children have been recruited into armed groups, and that over half of all children have been out of school, the UNHCR > GLOBAL GLOBALTRENDS TRENDS2016 2016 87,100 639,000 K E N YA UGANDA highest proportion in the world.40 A major economic crisis has developed with escalating food prices and crime. D I S PL AC E M E NT I N 20 1 6 The IDP population in South Sudan continued to increase from 1.7 million at the beginning of 2016 to 1.9 million at the end. This increase masks the high level of movement, with the outbreak of conflict in Juba in July 2016 a watershed moment; with 752,300 returns largely before the crisis, and 865,000 new displacements throughout the year accelerated by the July crisis. Unfortunately, due to continued warfare and conflict, returning people may still be at risk of violence and further displacement. 38 UN Secretary General, ‘Report of the Secretary-General on South Sudan (covering the period from 16 December 2016 to 1 March 2017)’ 39 UN Secretary General, ‘Report of the Secretary-General on conflict-related sexual violence’, S/2016/361, 20 April 2016. 40 UNICEF, ‘Hundreds of children recruited by armed groups in South Sudan, as violations against women and children increase’, Press release, 19 Aug 2016. 31 UGANDA. FINDING SAFETY. A South Sudanese boy holds his baby brother while his family is registered in Busia, before being transferred to a refugee settlement. © U N H C R /A L E S S A N D R O P E N S O More than 224,000 people41 sought refuge in Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites and many have been there since December 2013. These are IDP settlements on UN premises, often inside UN peacekeeping bases. 60 per cent of residents were children and there were also disproportionately more women, as men often remain to defend their families’ livelihoods. The areas of South Sudan worst affected by internal displacement were the former states of Unity, Jonglei, Central Equatoria and Upper Nile. Over the course of 2016, 739,900 fled South Sudan as refugees and asylum-seekers. Of them, the vast majority went to neighbouring countries, especially Uganda. This population in Uganda increased more than threefold during 2016, from 199,400 to 639,000. The Ugandan Government provided South Sudanese refugees with plots of land for agricultural purposes and access to all public services, despite a severe shortfall in funding (UNHCR operations were only 33 per cent funded, with a gap of 186 million USD). Uganda also was the first country to apply the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework linked to the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants to support the Government’s progressive refugee policies and initiatives. 32 Other countries hosting South Sudanese refugees included Ethiopia (338,800), Sudan (297,200), Kenya (87,100), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (66,700), the Central African Republic (4,900), and Egypt (2,500). A YOU N G , RU R A L E M E RG E N CY Two-thirds of refugees from South Sudan were children under the age of 18. Children under the age of five, especially vulnerable to disease and undernutrition, represented nearly 1 in 5 refugees. Older child refugees were at risk of not having their educational needs met. Women made up 63 per cent of the refugee adult population and working age men (aged 18 to 59) were a small minority of the entire refugee population. This refugee crisis is overwhelmingly rural in nature, with 91 per cent of refugees from South Sudan living in rural locations in countries of asylum. CO N F LI C T D E E PE N I N G Unfortunately there was little evidence of a resolution to the conflict in 2016 and UN reports warned of looming food insecurity for 5.5 million people – UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 SOUTH SUDAN. CHILDREN EXPRESS THEIR DEEPEST FEARS THROUGH ART. Many South Sudanese children have witnessed brutal violence and the destruction of their homes. In this psychosocial therapy session organized by UNHCR’s partner organization the Jesuit Refugee Service, children were asked to draw what they feared the most. No refugee crisis today worries me more than South Sudan. That refugee children are becoming the defining face of this emergency is incredibly troubling. We, all in the humanitarian community, need most urgent, committed and sustainable support to be able to save their lives. Valentin Tapsoba, UNHCR’s Africa Bureau Director 2017 almost half the total population – by mid-2017.42 Operational data show that forced displacement continues in 2017 with large numbers of new internal displacements and arrivals to neighbouring countries.43 Despite the gravity of this desperate situation, chronic and severe underfunding has reached a point where critical life-saving help has become dangerously compromised. Transit and reception facilities are rapidly becoming overwhelmed. Significant challenges are being faced in providing refugees and IDPs with adequate food rations, health, and educational services. 41 UNMISS, ‘POC Update No. 147, as of 08 December 2016’, 12 December 2016. 42 South Sudan IPC Technical Working Group, ‘Key IPC Findings: January-July 2017’, 20 Feb 2017. 43 See: http://data.unhcr.org/SouthSudan/. Figure 13 Sudanese S outh Sudaneserefugees refugees by age sexand end-2016 South byand age sex Women = 21% Men = 13% - end-2016 Children = 66% 0-4 = 19% 5-11 = 29% 12-17 = 18% BY AGE UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 33 CHAPTER 4 IRAQ. INTERNALLY DISPLACED FAMILIES REACH SAFETY. Families from the village of Shora, 25km south of Mosul, approach a checkpoint on the outskirts of Qayyarah. Liberated months earlier, Qayyarah is still engulfed in thick black smoke from oil wells set ablaze by retreating militants. © UN HCR / IVOR PRICKET T 34 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 4 INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPs) MANY NEW DISPLACEMENTS AS WELL AS RETURNS OF IDPS By the end 2016, 40.3 million people were internally displaced due to armed conflict, generalized violence, or human rights violations. That is almost on a par with the 40.8 million reported the previous year, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). 47 However, this total figure to some extent masks the enormous upheavals that continued to take place in 2016, with many large-scale new displacements as well as large numbers of people returning to their homes, often under difficult circumstances. Since the inter-agency cluster approach was introduced in January 2006, IDP statistics have been collected jointly by UNHCR and cluster members. The total number of IDPs, including those in IDP-like situations reported by UNHCR offices also decreased, albeit to a greater extent than estimated by IDMC. (The UNHCR figure is lower than IDMC’s global figure, as not all IDP populations were covered by UNHCR or cluster partners.) 48 At the end of 2016, the IDP population reported by UNHCR offices stood at 36.6 million, compared with 37.5 million a year earlier, a decrease of 0.9 million. This number comprised reports by 29 countries where UNHCR was engaged with IDP populations UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 during 2016, compared to 28 countries reporting the previous year. Of the 36.6 million IDPs, 13.9 million were assisted by UNHCR, compared with 13.3 million in 2015. During 2016, 5.5 million IDPs were newly displaced by conflict and violence in their countries, according to data reported by UNHCR offices. More than 1.3 million people were newly displaced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by South Sudan (865,000), Libya (630,000), Afghanistan (623,200), 49 Iraq (598,000), and Yemen (467,100). At the same time, 6.5 million IDPs returned to their areas of origin, and IDP numbers decreased by another 3 million as some crossed an international border and become a refugee or due to statistical adjustments. 47 For detailed statistics on global internal displacement, see the IDMC website at www.internal-displacement.org. 48 The total number of IDPs reflected in UNHCR’s official statistics constitute only those individuals that are internally displaced by conflict-induced situations and are protected/assisted by the organization. Therefore, the total number of IDPs reported in the annex tables of this report does not constitute the global number of IDPs worldwide. See IDMC for statistics on IDPs displaced due to disasters. 49 The figures for new internal displacement in Afghanistan are being reviewed, and adjustments are expected. 35 CHAPTER 4 Figure I DPs protected/assisted by UNHCR Global number conflict-generated IDPs IDPs Includes IDPs14protected/assisted by UNHCR vsvsGlobal numberofof conflict-generated people in since 2007, (in millions) Includes people in an an IDP-like IDP-likesituation situation since 2007, (in millions) 40 30 20 10 1996 2001 Conflict-generated* a 2006 2016 0 Protected by UNHCR IDMC Nearly 3 million of these returning IDPs have required UNHCR assistance. According to the Government, there were 7.4 million registered IDPs in Colombia at the end of 2016, 50 an increase of some half a million from the beginning of the year, with no IDP returns or other decreases reported. As a result, Colombia remained the country with the largest IDP population (Figure 15). Syria remained the country with the second-highest IDP population, despite a decrease from 6.6 million at the end of 2015 to 6.3 million a year later. However, unlike Colombia, this end-year population was a product of both increases and decreases. Some 600,000 IDPs returned to their homes, while a further decrease of some 800,000 was caused by factors such as IDPs seeking protection outside the country as refugees or administrative adjustments. Simultaneously, other factors increased the IDP population by some 1.2 million. As with Syria, Iraq also saw a decrease in its IDP population, although this population remained large. In Iraq, IDPs decreased from 4.4 million to 3.6 million during 2016. Some 1.4 million displaced people returned home, nearly half a million with UNHCR assistance. At the same time, there were nearly 600,000 newly displaced IDPs. Anbar province saw significant movement in the IDP population, reflecting the fluid 36 2011 situation during the military campaigns against the so-called Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) and other non-State armed groups in 2016. Nearly 300,000 IDPs were newly displaced in Anbar province during the year, while nearly 600,000 returned. Additionally, Ninewa province, which saw fierce fighting, especially around the city of Mosul, still had more than 1 million IDPs, despite 180,000 people returning. The IDP population in the Democratic Republic of the Congo increased substantially, rising from 1.6 million to 2.2 million during 2016. Years of armed conflict and general insecurity, both local and regional, have created a complex and long-standing humanitarian crisis. Nearly all new displacement occurred in the eastern provinces, where the security situation remained volatile. Many of these IDPs experience multiple displacements, increasing their vulnerability as they often cannot recuperate from previous losses, both material and in terms of social support structures. 50 The large number of registered IDPs in Colombia comes from the total cumulative figure recorded in the Government’s Victims Registry, which commenced in 1985. While a peace agreement has been signed, the Victims Unit does not have a system for de-registering IDPs. Since UNHCR uses Government figures for the total population, the projected increase in these figures is provided based on new displacement trends. The issue of de-registration versus active cases is being discussed, and the Government is advancing with legislation in this regard: Decree 2569, a profiling and response strategy to determine if registered victims have attained durable solutions. See http://rni. unidadvictimas.gov.co/RUV. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 4 Figure 15 Ten largest IDP populations Colombia Syrian Arab Rep. Iraq DR of the Congo Sudan Nigeria Yemen South Sudan Ukraine Afghanistan 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 IDP population (millions) end-2015 The unpredictability of the situation was seen in the large number of both new displacements and IDP returns in 2016. Many returns took place in precarious conditions, with land and property often occupied, confiscated, or destroyed, reducing the resilience mechanisms of affected individuals and communities. Sudan experienced a significant reduction in the IDP population during 2016, although the humanitarian situation remained serious. Nearly all IDPs were living in the south and west of the country, mostly in Darfur. Some 2.2 million people remained internally displaced in Sudan at the end of 2016, making this the fifth-largest IDP population. Other countries where an IDP population of over 1 million was reported at the end of 2016 included Nigeria (2.2 million), Yemen (2.0 million), South Sudan (1.9 million), Ukraine (1.8 million), Afghanistan (1.8 million), 51 and Somalia (1.6 million). IDP returns were reported at 6.5 million, compared with 2.3 million reported in 2015 and more than the number of new displacements (Figure 16). This was the highest number on record and the first time since 2011 that new displacements were less than returns. However, many of these returns took place in hazardous security situations and did not always indicate an improvement in conditions in the areas concerned. For example, in Iraq, IDPs returned to eastern Mosul even while fighting in the western parts of the city continued to displace more people. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 Iraq had the highest number of returns with 1.4 million followed by Yemen (974,100) and South Sudan (752,300). In both Yemen and South Sudan, prolonged hostilities and worsening conditions in host communities compelled many displaced to return despite danger and insecurity. Other countries with significant numbers of IDP returns were Pakistan (704,400), Nigeria (689,900), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (619,600), Syria (600,000), Libya (449,800), the Philippines (255,600), and Mali (36,000). 51 The figures for protracted internal displacement in Afghanistan (1.2 million) are being reviewed through field verification, and adjustments are expected. Figure 16 IDP new displacements and returns 2006-2016 IDP population (millions) end-2016 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 06 07 08 09 New displacements 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Returns 37 CHAPTER 5 GREECE. YOUNG AFGHAN ASYLUM-SEEKER DREAMS OF BECOMING A MODEL. This 14-year-old Afghan refugee (nicknamed Paris) poses for photographs. Her dream is to go to France to become a model, but the Greek border is now closed to onward movements. © UNHCR /ROL AND SCHÖNBAUER 38 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 5 ASYLUMSEEKERS 2.8 MILLION PEOPLE WAITING FOR LIFE-CHANGING DECISIONS By the end of 2016, there were 2.8 million asylumseekers – people who are seeking international protection but whose refugee status is yet to be determined. 52 While this was a decrease from 2015, most of this change was due to statistical adjustments in South Africa and thus masked the underlying trend of an increasing population of asylum-seekers globally. Some 2.2 million individual applications for asylum or refugee status were submitted to States or UNHCR in 164 countries or territories in 2016, a reduction from 2015 when there were 2.4 million (Table 2). Of the provisional 53 total of 2.2 million asylum claims, an estimated 2.0 million were initial applications 54 lodged in ‘first instance’ procedures. The remaining 165,900 claims were submitted at second instance, including with courts or other appellate bodies. 55 In many countries, UNHCR has been invited to undertake refugee status determination. UNHCR offices in those countries registered 208,100 applications, of which 8,300 were on appeal. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 N E W I N D I V I DUA L A SY LU M A PPLI C ATI O N S R E G I STE R E D 56 By receiving country57 As in 2015, Germany continued to be the largest recipient of new asylum applications, with 722,400 registered during 2016. This was a significant 52 Analysis of global levels and by country of asylum is based on individuals, with cases multiplied by the average number of persons per case. Analysis by country of origin is based on individuals and cases as reported by the country of asylum, since inflation factors are not available by country of origin. 53 Because some countries have not yet released all of their national asylum data at the time of writing, this figure is likely to be revised later this year. 54 The data for some countries may include a significant number of repeat claims, i.e. the applicant has submitted at least one previous application in the same or another country. 55 Statistical information on outcomes of asylum appeals and court proceedings is under-reported in UNHCR’s statistics, particularly in industrialized countries, because this type of data is often either not collected by States or not published openly. 56 Figures quoted in this section relate to new asylum applications lodged at the first instance. Appeal, court, repeat, or re-opened applications are excluded, to the extent possible. 57 The number of applications reported for a country is based on individuals, with cases multiplied by an inflation factor when provided. Any further analysis by country of origin is based on individuals and cases, as inflation factors are not provided by country of origin. 39 CHAPTER 5 Table 2 New and appeal applications registered 2011-2016 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016* States 734,100 781,400 870,700 1,401,700 2,063,900 1,941,700 UNHCR 98,800 125,500 203,200 245,700 269,400 208,100 Jointly** 31,700 22,800 5,800 12,900 17,800 26,300 Total 864,600 929,700 1,079,700 1,660,300 2,351,100 2,176,100 % UNHCR only 11 13 19 15 11 10 * Provisional figures ** Refers to refugee status determination conducted jointly by UNHCR and governments increase compared with 2015 (441,900) and 2014 (173,100), and it continued a trend of increasing numbers of asylum applications in Germany for the past nine years (Figure 17). Again, following trends of previous years, asylum claims from people from Syria were the highest single group at 266,300, more than six times that received in 2014. The number of applications from Afghans increased more than fourfold, from 31,400 in 2015 to 127,000 in 2016. The next most common nationality was Iraqi with 96,100 claims. Altogether, applications from Afghans, Iraqis and Syrians accounted for 68 per cent of all applications. Germany also received applications from 134 other countries in 2016, including the Islamic Republic of Iran (26,400), Eritrea (18,900), and Albania (14,900). The United States of America was the second-largest recipient of new asylum applications in 2016 with 262,000, an increase of 52 per cent over the previous year (172,700 claims) and more than double received in 2014 (121,200).58 Just over half (52 per cent) of the applications in the United States of America were from people from Mexico and Central America. While the numbers increased from that region compared with 2015, claims from Salvadorians nearly doubled from 18,900 the previous year to 33,600 in 2016, making it the most common country of origin.59 Other asylum-seekers came from Mexico (27,900), Guatemala (25,700), China (19,900), Honduras (19,500), and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (18,300). The number of people fleeing violence in the North of Central America increased to levels not seen since the 1980s, and the United States remained the main country receiving asylum applications from those fleeing countries in the region. Italy saw a sharp increase in new asylum claims and was the third-largest recipient with 123,000 new 40 applications, compared with 83,200 in 2015. Italy continued to receive an increasing number of arrivals by sea, an estimated 181,500 people in 2016, which partly accounts for the rise in asylum claims. The four main countries of origin of asylumseekers remained the same as in 2015: Nigeria continued to be the main country of origin, with some 27,100 claims in 2016, followed by those originating from Pakistan (13,700), the Gambia (8,900), and Senegal (7,600). Eritreans submitted some 7,400 claims for asylum in 2016, a tenfold increase compared to the 700 lodged in 2015. Turkey continued to receive individual asylum claims from nationalities other than Syrians, who receive protection under the Government’s Temporary Protection regime. Turkey thus became the fourthlargest recipient of new asylum claims, although the 78,600 claims in 2016 were significantly lower than the 133,200 recorded in 2015. Afghan asylumseekers continued to submit the most claims in 2016 with 34,800, a decrease from the particularly high 63,400 in 2015. Similarly, asylum claims from Iraqis remained the second-most common and declined from 53,800 in 2015 to 28,800 in 2016. In contrast, the number of asylum claims from Iranians increased to 12,100 in 2016 from 11,400 in 2015. As in 2015, these three countries accounted for the vast majority of newly received individual asylum claims in Turkey (96 per cent). 58 Estimated number of individuals based on the number of new cases (124,300) and multiplied by 1.46 to reflect the average number of individuals per case (Source: US Department of Homeland Security); and number of new ‘defensive’ asylum requests lodged with the Executive Office of Immigration Review (80,600, reported by individuals). 59 The number of claims by country of origin in the United States of America has not had the multiplication factor applied, since the number of persons per case by country of origin is not known. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 5 Figure Main countries of asylum for new asylum-seekers 2007-2016, (in thousands) Main 17 countries of asylum for new asylum-seekers 2007 - 2016, (in thousands) 50 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 Austria ’13 ’14 250 ’15 500 ’16 400 Belgium Canada France Germany Greece Italy Malaysia Russian Fed. South Africa Sudan Sweden Turkey UKa USAb a Excludes the applications for appeal/administrative review. Cases are multiplied by average number of persons per case. b During 2016, France received 78,400 new individual asylum claims and became the fifth-largest recipient. In addition, the composition of the countries of origin of asylum claimants changed from the previous year. Albania became the most common country of origin with 6,900 claims, more than double those received in 2015 (3,200). Afghan, Sudanese, and Syrian asylum claimants were the next most common group with 6,100 claims each, followed by Haiti (5,200) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3,300). Greece saw more than a fourfold increase in new individual asylum claims, from 11,400 in 2015 to 49,800. More than half of these claims were from Syrians (26,600), compared with 3,300 in 2015. Similarly, asylum claims from Iraqis increased from 580 in 2015 to 4,800. Asylum claims also were received from Pakistanis (4,400), Afghans (4,300), Albanians (1,300), Iranians (1,100), and Bangladeshis (1,100). A total of 39,900 new individual asylum claims were received in Austria in 2016, less than half the number received in 2015 (85,800) although still higher than in 2014 (28,100). Afghans accounted for UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 most claims (11,500) but this was half the number received in 2015 (25,200). The number of applications by Syrians declined even more in 2016, with 8,600 claims compared with 24,400 in 2015. The decline in applications from Iraqis was also notable, dropping from 13,300 in 2015 to 2,700. Pakistanis submitted 2,400 claims, followed by Iranians (2,400) and Nigerians (1,600). Following declines in claims received in Hungary, the Russian Federation, South Africa, and Sweden compared with the past few years, the United Kingdom became the eighth-largest recipient of new individual asylum claims. That was despite the fact that the United Kingdom had slightly fewer claims in 2016 (38,500) than in 2015 (38,900). The largest number of claims was received from Iranians (4,800) followed by nationals from Pakistan (3,700), Iraq (3,700), Afghanistan (3,100), and Bangladesh (2,200). Eritreans submitted some 1,300 asylum claims in the United Kingdom in 2016, compared with 3,800 in 2015. South Africa was also a recipient of a large number of new individual asylum claims, receiving 35,400 in 41 CHAPTER 5 Table 3 New asylum claims registered in UNHCR offices with more than 10,000 claims* 2013-2016 2013 2014 2015 2016 Turkey** 44,800 87,800 133,300 78,600 Egypt*** 10,800 10,000 21,100 28,500 Malaysia 53,600 25,700 22,100 20,100 6,700 29,100 19,400 12,000 Jordan * Excluding appeal and review claims. ** This figure includes asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR as well as those who have been pre-registered but who are pending official registration with UNHCR. *** Includes appeal claims in 2013. 2016. While claims from people from Zimbabwe remained the most numerous (8,000), this was less than half the number received the previous year (17,800) and substantially fewer than in 2009 (149,500). During 2016, South Africa continued to receive asylum applications from people coming from farther away, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (5,300), Ethiopia (4,800, Nigeria (3,300), Bangladesh (2,800), and Somalia (1,600). UNHCR offices registered 208,100 individual asylum applications in 2016, of which 197,800 were new, 8,300 on appeal, and 2,000 for review. This overall number constitutes a significant decline compared with recent years (Table 3). The office in Turkey has continued to receive most new requests, although again far fewer than in 2015. The UNHCR office in Egypt received the next highest number of new applications with 28,500, nearly three times the number received in 2014, followed by Malaysia (20,100), Jordan (12,000), and Syria (9,700). By nationality Asylum claims from Syrians continued to dominate the global asylum statistics, as in the previous three years (Figure 18). In 2016 there were 347,600 new asylum claims, a decline from the particularly high number of 409,900 claims lodged in 2015. However, Syrians still account for a historically high proportion of all new asylum claims at 18 per cent, compared with 12 per cent in 2014. The number of new individual claims is in addition to new arrivals in countries where Syrians receive prima facie or group recognition such as Jordan and Lebanon; or in Turkey, where they were granted protection under the Government’s Temporary Protection regime. 42 Excluding these countries, individual asylum claims from Syrians were lodged in 105 countries, mostly in Europe. Germany received the most claims with 266,300, followed by Greece (26,600), which experienced a dramatic increase in claims from Syrians (3,300 in 2014). In addition, Austria (8,600), France (6,100), Hungary (4,700), Sweden (4,700), and Spain (3,100) all received large numbers of claims for asylum from Syrians. Claims for asylum from Syrians generally are successful, with global Total Protection Rates (formerly known as Total Recognition Rate) above 90 per cent. 60 Afghanistan was the next most common country of origin for individual new asylum applications in 2016, with 237,800 claims lodged in 74 countries. In contrast to 2015, Germany received the most applications (127,000), a fourfold increase from the 31,400 claims it received in 2015. Germany thus replaced Turkey, where the number of claims received fell from 63,400 in 2015 to 34,800. Austria likewise had a substantial increase in asylum claims from Afghans with 11,500 claims in 2016, followed by Hungary (10,800) and France (6,100). Pakistan also continued to receive new Afghan claims for asylum, with 4,400 in 2016. Protection rates for Afghans varied widely. The rates in Germany and Sweden were lower, with 60 per cent positive decisions in Germany (for all forms of protection) and 45 per cent in Sweden. Pakistan had a positive decision rate of 41 per cent for asylum claims from Afghans. 60 UNHCR uses two rates to compute the proportion of refugee claims accepted. The Refugee Recognition Rate is the proportion of asylum-seekers accorded refugee status out of the total number of substantive decisions (Convention status, complementary protection, and rejected cases). The Total Protection Rate is the proportion of asylum-seekers accorded refugee status or a complementary form of protection by the total number of substantive decisions (formerly referred to as Total Recognition Rate or TRR). Non-substantive decisions are, to the extent possible, excluded from both calculations. For the purposes of global comparability, UNHCR uses only these two rates and does not report rates calculated by national authorities. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 5 Main of origin new asylum-seekers Figure countries 18 Main countries of for origin for new asylum-seekers 2007-2016, (in thousands) 2007 - 2016, (in thousands) ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 50 150 ’14 ’15 300 ’16 Afghanistan Albania 250 Colombia Côte d'Ivoire DR of the Congo Eritrea Ethiopia Iran (Islamic Rep. of) Iraq Myanmar Pakistan Russian Federation Serbiaa Somalia Syrian Arab Rep. Ukraine Zimbabwe a Serbia and Kosovo: S/RES/1244 (1999) As in the previous year, the third most common country of origin for asylum applications was Iraq with 185,100 claims, a decrease from 2015 (209,200). As with applications from Afghans, Germany replaced Turkey as the country that received the most asylum applications from Iraqis. Germany received 96,100 such claims – three times the previous year – and Turkey received 28,800, half the number recorded in 2015. Unlike in previous years, Jordan and Syria recorded Iraqi claims for asylum, with 8,900 and 8,300, respectively. Elsewhere, Bulgaria received 5,200 claims, followed by Greece (4,800). The rates for Iraqis were also variable. While in Turkey, Jordan, and Syria the Total Protection Rate was close to universal, it was far lower in many European countries: In Germany it was 77 per cent, while in Bulgaria it was 21 per cent. Iranians formed the next largest group submitting claims for asylum in 2016, with 61,900 new individual claims compared with 43,500 in 2015. Germany received the most claims with 26,400, followed by Turkey (12,100), the United Kingdom UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 (4,800), Australia (3,000), and Austria (2,400). The Total Protection Rate for Iranians was 60 per cent in Germany and 44 per cent in the United Kingdom. Australia and Austria all had higher protection rates for Iranians, greater than 80 per cent. The fifth most common nationality was the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 60,700 asylum applications. Significant numbers of such claims also were received from people from Pakistan (58,500), Eritrea (57,400), Nigeria (56,300), El Salvador (42,900), and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (34,200). The Venezuelan numbers are notable because of the more than threefold increase over 2015, when there were 10,200 claims; the numbers from El Salvador also doubled. In contrast, applicants from the Balkans markedly decreased. While there were 68,200 claims from Albanians and 66,100 claims from people from Serbia and Kosovo: S/RES/1244(1999) 61 in 2015, by the end of 2016 these numbers declined to 30,100 and 18,800, respectively. 43 CHAPTER 5 Table 4 Substantive decisions taken 2012-2016 2012 States 2013 2016 627,200 590,200 941,800 1,086,400 1,408,500 54,400 72,100 99,600 91,600 83,400 Jointly 18,200 500 4,400 6,400 6,000 Total 699,800 662,800 1,045,800 1,183,400 1,498,000 UNHCR only (%) 8 11 10 8 6 DECISIONS Provisional figures indicate that States and UNHCR rendered 1.5 million decisions on individual asylum applications – new, on appeal, or repeat – during 2016 (Table 4), the largest number on record. 63 Figure 19 Global Total Protection Rates 2000-2016 Total protection rate (per cent) 2015 UNHCR All figures in this section should be considered indicative, because the country of origin for some asylum-seekers is unknown or undisclosed by some States. Data on Europe are particularly likely to include instances of double counting. In light of the scale of irregular onward movement in 2016, some people are likely to have applied in more than one European country. In addition, instances of double counting may include cases under the European Union’s ‘Emergency Relocation Mechanism’. 62 60 50 These figures do not include cases closed for administrative reasons with no decision issued to applicants, 64 of which 1.3 million were reported in 2016. Of the total substantive decisions taken, UNHCR staff adjudicated 83,400 or 6 per cent, a decrease from the high of 99,600 in 2014. Data relating to individual decisions are incomplete, however, as a few States have not yet released all of their official statistics. Thus, there are likely to be additional substantive decisions that have been taken by States in 2016, figures on which will be updated later. Available data indicate that 899,600 asylumseekers were recognized as refugees (564,400) or granted a complementary form of protection (335,200) during 2016. This was a substantial increase from previous years, with 681,300 positive decisions in 2015 and 615,000 in 2014. About 598,400 claims were rejected on substantive grounds, a number that includes negative decisions at the first instance and on appeal. Asylum-seekers rejected at both first and appeal instances may be reported twice, depending on the methods used by governments for reporting decisions on individual asylum applications. 40 61 Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999). 62 Asylum-seekers of nationalities that have at least a 75 per cent recognition rate at first instance across the EU (based on the latest Eurostat quarterly statistics) are eligible for relocation from Greece and Italy. Under this two-year scheme, which was adopted in September 2015, 66,400 asylum-seekers were originally foreseen to be relocated from Greece, and 39,600 from Italy. In 2016, 10,900 people were relocated from Greece and Italy to other EU and certain member States of the European Free Trade Association. See https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/ details/53389 for details on individual countries. 30 20 10 63 Refers to decisions taken at all levels in the asylum procedure. 0 00 44 2014 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 64 Also referred to as ‘non-substantive’ decisions, which may result from the death of the applicant, no-show for interview, withdrawal of the application, abandonment of the claim, or the determination that another country is responsible for the claim (‘Dublin II’ procedure), among other factors. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 5 At the global level (UNHCR and State asylum procedures combined), the Total Protection Rate (TPR) was 60 per cent – i.e. the percentage of substantive decisions that resulted in any form of international protection (Figure 19). This rate has increased considerably since 2003 when the rate was 27 per cent, a rise partly due to the growing proportion of Syrians among asylum-seekers. At this time, global rates are indicative, as some States have not yet reported the relevant data. Looking at the global figures for the most common countries of origin, Syrians had close to a universal granting of some form of international protection, with a TPR of 99 per cent, followed by Iraqis (68 per cent), Iranians (59 per cent), Afghans (57 per cent), and Pakistanis (24 per cent). PE N D I N G C L A I M S The asylum-seeker population is made up of people with pending claims at the end of the year. At the end of 2016, 2.8 million individuals were awaiting decisions on their claims, including applicants at any stage of the asylum procedure. 65 That is a decrease compared with 2015 (3.2 million), but that drop is mainly accounted for by a sharp reduction in the asylum-seeker population reported by South Africa, which decreased from 1.1 million to 218,300. Most of this was the result of updated statistical information on the number of cases that could be administratively closed due to abandonment of the claim. Excluding data from South Africa, which has seen variations in numbers in 2015 and 2016 largely due to changes in statistical methodologies, there has clearly been a sustained increase in the global asylum-seeker population. Due to the revision of figures from South Africa, Germany had the largest asylum-seeker population at the end of 2016 with 587,300 pending claims. That was an increase of nearly 40 per cent compared with 2015 (420,600) and 160 per cent compared with 2014 (226,200). While Germany made the largest number of substantive decisions of any country in 2016 (639,000), asylum claims in recent years outpaced the capacity to process decisions, leading to an increase in the asylumseeker population. The number of asylum-seekers substantially increased in the United States, nearly doubling from UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 286,200 at the end of 2015 to 542,600 a year later. Turkey also had a significant asylum-seeker population of 245,800, which did not include Syrians who are protected under the Temporary Protection regime. Other countries with more than 50,000 asylum claims pending at the end of 2016 included South Africa (218,300), Italy (99,900), Sweden (83,100), Austria (76,400), France (62,800), and Malaysia (56,300). Despite improved statistical reporting on pending asylum applications, the true number of undecided asylum cases is unknown, as some countries do not report this information. As in 2015, Afghanistan was the country of origin with the most asylum-seekers, rising from 259,000 in 2015 to 369,000 in 2016 (an increase of 42 per cent). The number of asylum-seekers from Iraq also increased to 278,300, while there was a decrease among Syrian asylum-seekers to 184,200 from 245,800 the previous year (a 25 per cent decrease). Other source countries with significant numbers of asylum-seekers awaiting decisions reported to UNHCR were the Islamic Republic of Iran (87,500 claims), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (82,600), Ethiopia (78,100), and China (72,100). 66 65 Analysis of global levels and by country of asylum is based on individuals with cases multiplied by the average number of persons per case. Analysis by country of origin is based on individuals and cases, depending on how these were reported by the country of asylum, since inflation factors are not provided by country of origin. 66 Information on country of origin was not provided for the asylumseeker population in South Africa. 45 CHAPTER 5 NIGERIA. EIGHT YEAR OLD ISSA HAS RETURNED HOME ALONE. Issa was separated from her family and fled to neighbouring Cameroon on her own after violence erupted, perpetrated by Boko Haram. She has now returned to Nigeria and is registered at a camp for the internally displaced in Adamawa State. © UNHCR /GEORGE OSODI 46 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 5 UNACCOMPANIED AND SEPARATED CHILDREN ASYLUM APPLICATIONS Children separated from their parents and families because of conflict, forced displacement, or natural disasters are among the most vulnerable. It is imperative that governments and agencies collect data to identify these children and assist them. However, data availability on unaccompanied or separated children seeking asylum is limited, and not all countries report these data, including countries with significant numbers of asylum claims such as South Africa and the United States of America. Furthermore, UNHCR compile data on asylum applications on an annual basis; they do not include unaccompanied or separated children who are recognized as refugees, nor do they reflect total numbers of both asylum-seeking and refugee unaccompanied or separated children. In 2016, provisional data indicated that 75,000 unaccompanied or separated children sought asylum on an individual basis, with 70 countries reporting at least one such application. This number, while known to be an underestimate due to under-reporting, was a reduction on the exceptionally high number of claims reported in 2015. Nevertheless, it was more than double the 34,300 applications from unaccompanied or separated children reported in 2014. Germany received the largest number of applications from unaccompanied or separated children by a large margin, with 35,900 claims in 2016, more than half of all reported claims. This compared with 14,400 in 2015 and 4,400 in 2014. As in previous years, the majority of these claims were from Afghan children (15,000), among which 1,700 were below the age of 15. Germany also received 10,000 claims from unaccompanied or separated Syrian children, of which 2,500 were under 15. There were also 3,000 applications from unaccompanied or separated Iraqi children and 1,800 from those from Eritrea. Italy received the next largest number of applications for asylum from unaccompanied or separated children, with 6,000 claims. This is significantly lower than the number of such children arriving in the country, estimated at 25,900. This difference may be explained by onward movement to other European countries, unaccompanied or separated children who are vulnerable and need assistance on account of their age but are not in need of international protection, and trafficked children who go missing. The number of applications from unaccompanied or separated children in Sweden greatly decreased from the previous year. In 2016 there were 3,200 claims, compared with 35,800 in 2015, a reduction of about 90 per cent. As in 2015, the most numerous claims were from Afghan children, while other countries with large numbers of claims from unaccompanied or separated children in 2016 included the United Kingdom (3,200), Bulgaria (2,800), Turkey (2,500), and Greece (2,400). Egypt and Kenya were the only non-European countries with more than 1,000 claims from unaccompanied or separated children, with 1,500 and 1,000 claims, respectively. Looking at country of origin, claims from unaccompanied or separated Afghan children were the most common (26,700), followed by those from Syrian children (12,000). Other groups with substantial claims from unaccompanied or separated children were from Iraq (4,800), Eritrea (4,700), Somalia (3,500), and Gambia (2,400). Out of the total 75,000 claims, 18,300 were from unaccompanied or separated children below the age of 15. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 47 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 6 STATELESS POPULATION AN ‘INVISIBLE’ PROBLEM - HARD TO TRACK Stateless people are not considered as nationals by any State under its law. Statelessness is sometimes referred to as an invisible problem, because stateless people often remain unseen and unheard. They may not be able to go to school, see a doctor, get a job, open a bank account, buy a house, or even get married. Stateless people frequently live in precarious situations on the margins of society, making it a challenge to measure statelessness. Despite the increasing number of countries engaged in reporting on and enhancing the reliability of their figures, UNHCR was unable to provide comprehensive statistics on stateless people in all countries in 2016. Of the estimated 10 million stateless people around the world, only 3.2 million are captured in this report. Still, the difference in numbers compared with 2015 is due to more accurate figures from two countries where significant stateless populations exist. UNHCR’s statistics on statelessness focus mainly on de jure stateless people: those not considered as nationals by any State under its law. However, data from some countries also includes people of undetermined nationality. By the end of 2016, statistics on people falling under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate were available for 75 countries (Figure 20). In addition, Annex Table 7 includes countries marked with an asterisk where UNHCR has information about the existence of significant stateless populations but where reliable 48 figures are not available. These countries remain priorities for UNHCR in its efforts towards improved data on statelessness. The identification of stateless people is key to addressing difficulties they face and to enabling governments, UNHCR, and others to prevent and reduce statelessness. Action 10 of UNHCR’s Global Action Plan to End Statelessness67 (GAP) and the guiding framework to achieve the goals of UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign68 focus on improving quantitative and qualitative data on statelessness. In addition, the establishment of statelessness determination procedures in accordance with Action 6 of the GAP will lead to new data in countries hosting stateless migrants. Strengthening of civil registration and vital statistics systems in accordance with Action 7 of the GAP also will contribute to the availability of quantitative data. In order to improve quantitative and qualitative data with regard to Action 10 of the Global Action Plan, UNHCR undertakes targeted surveys and studies (including participatory assessments with stateless individuals and groups) to establish the scale of a situation and profile of an affected population. During 2016, six such studies were completed in countries as diverse as Austria and Côte d’Ivoire. 67 UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Global Action Plan to End Statelessness, 4 November 2014, available at: http://www. refworld.org/docid/545b47d64.html. 68 For further information on UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign, please see http://www.unhcr.org/ibelong/. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 6 MONTENEGRO. STATELESS FAMILY LIVING IN LIMBO Although born in Montenegro, these sisters’ parents, who fled conflict in other parts of the Balkans, lack identity documents and are unable to get citizenship for themselves or the girls. © UNHCR/MIOMIR LABAN In 2016, progress continued to be made to reduce the number of stateless people through acquisition or confirmation of nationality. A reported 60,800 stateless people in 31 countries acquired nationality during the year, with significant reductions happening in Côte d’Ivoire, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Thailand. In the Philippines, for example, a tripartite registration exercise by UNHCR and the Governments of Indonesia and the Philippines UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 enabled more than 4,000 people of Indonesian descent in the Philippines to confirm Philippine and/ or Indonesian nationality. In Tajikistan, close to 7,500 people had their nationality confirmed. 69 See: https://www.unece.org/publications/2020recomm.html. Figure 20 Number of countries reporting statistics on stateless persons 2004-2016 Number of countries Statistics and information on the situation of stateless populations also can be gathered through population censuses. When the Global Action Plan was published in 2014, 112 out of 142 national population censuses undertaken since 2005 for which the United Nations possesses questionnaires included a question on nationality. Of these, fewer than 25 per cent included a pre-coded option for census takers to record the responses of those who identified themselves as stateless. It is therefore important to include questions relating to nationality in the 2020 round of population and housing censuses. The Conference of European Statisticians Recommendations for the 2020 Censuses of Population and Housing 69 is a first step in this regard, but further efforts are needed. UNHCR operations are collaborating with statisticians and relevant authorities to include questions in upcoming censuses that will assist in identifying the number of stateless people in that country. UNHCR encourages all States to follow these examples. 22 19 54 48 05 06 20 21 72 17 14 49 21 54 58 08 09 65 64 10 11 19 16 17 18 75 77 77 75 13 14 15 16 17 11 30 04 07 12 Countries with reliable data Countries with known populations without reliable data 49 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 7 OTHER GROUPS OR PEOPLE OF CONCERN 803,000 OTHER PEOPLE NEED UNHCR'S PROTECTION 50 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 7 GUATEMALA. A HONDURAN FAMILY FLEEING GANG VIOLENCE ARRIVES AT THE MEXICAN BORDER. Hondurans and Salvadorans, fleeing gang violence, travel through Guatemala, and begin the hazardous 1200 km journey to the United States of America, in hope of finding asylum. People fleeing gang violence in this region may be in need of international protection. . © U N H C R / T I TO H E R R E R A UNHCR extends its protection or assistance activities to people considered to be ‘of concern’ but who do not fall into any of the other population or legal categories. In most cases, UNHCR’s activities in relation to these people are based on humanitarian grounds. Examples of people helped in this way have included former refugees who were assisted to integrate locally, rejected asylum-seekers whom UNHCR deemed to be in need of humanitarian assistance, and host populations significantly impacted, directly or indirectly, by an influx of displaced people. There were 803,100 people in this category at the end of 2016. That was a decline from previous years, with over 1 million having been in the ‘other of concern’ category in 2014, for instance. Of this 2016 population, 180,000 were Ugandan nationals living in refugee-hosting communities benefiting from UNHCR-assisted programmes such as education, UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 health, water, and sanitation, so as to equip the communities to meet the challenges of the arrival of a large number of refugees. Former refugees also were a key population receiving assistance from UNHCR. These included the 114,200 Afghan returned refugees who continued to face social, economic, and security challenges in their reintegration in Afghanistan, and the over 162,200 naturalized former Burundian refugees in Tanzania who continued to need assistance and protection while being locally integrated. In addition, 80,000 Filipino Muslims living in Sabah in Malaysia were in need of international protection and were considered of concern to UNHCR in 2016. Forty-seven UNHCR offices reported data on other populations of other groups or populations of concern in 2016. 51 CHAPTER 8 CHAD. NEW REFUGEES ARRIVE FROM THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. Following clashes between armed groups in the town of Ngaoundaye, located some 9 km from the Chadian border, a new influx of refugees has arrived. Staff from UNHCR and partner organizations provide them with protection and assistance. © U N H C R / S A LVATO R N D A B A Z E R U T S E 52 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 8 DEMOGRAPHIC AND LOCATION DATA HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMMES ARE BUILT ON DATA Disaggregated data are essential for addressing the needs of vulnerable groups that are often overlooked when populations are considered as a whole, and in order to ensure that ‘no one is left behind’. At a minimum, population data and estimates should be disaggregated by sex and age, as well as by geographic location. Given the critical need for disaggregated data, UNHCR has been making strong efforts to improve the quality and availability of detailed disaggregated primary data on displaced people. UNHCR and its partners look for new and innovative ways to gather this information as quickly as possible, and the agency has intensified its efforts to systematically collect data disaggregated by location and demographic characteristics, including in emergencies. The availability of disaggregated data varies between countries and population groups. In general, the quality of demographic data tends to be highest in countries where UNHCR has an operational role and undertakes registration and primary data collection. Furthermore, disaggregated data coverage is variable, with data on some groups such as IDPs being particularly poor. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 Uneven availability of disaggregated data presents an important limitation to comparative analysis between locations and populations, and over time. UNHCR continues to work with countries and data-collecting agents within the humanitarian community to increase awareness of the importance of disaggregated data by location and demographic characteristics. Collecting disaggregated data can be challenging in emergency situations, as resources for data collection compete with other acute needs such as the immediate delivery of aid and protection. As emergency situations stabilize, data availability tends to improve, although UNHCR faces barriers to obtaining disaggregated data in many high-income countries with well-resourced statistical systems. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS Despite UNHCR’s efforts to improve data availability, it has become increasingly difficult to obtain disaggregated data in many countries where the agency is not involved in primary data collection, with a number of countries ceasing to provide UNHCR with disaggregated data. 53 CHAPTER 8 Population (milions) Figure 21 Demographic characteristics available on UNHCR’s population of concern 2006-2016 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2006 2007 Total pop. of concern 2008 2009 2010 Sex-disaggregated data available In 2014 and 2015, 164 countries provided at least some sex-disaggregated data on populations of concern. But in 2016, this number declined to 147 countries, representing 59 per cent of the entire population of concern. Some of this decline can be accounted for by changes in how the data are reported (Figure 21).70 From the available data, men accounted for 20.4 million and women for 19.3 million people out of the total population of concern. In 2016, 140 countries reported any data disaggregated by age, compared with 141 in 2015. Even though the total population covered increased, the proportion covered was still only 35 per cent. Of the 23.9 million people covered in 2016, 12.7 million were children below the age of 18, or 53 per cent, a small increase in the proportion of the population of concern from 2015. The coverage of disaggregated data by population group varied. Refugees and asylum-seekers tended to have the best coverage, and IDPs and stateless people the least. In 2016, sex-disaggregated data were available for 10.7 million refugees, and agedisaggregated data were available for 9.7 million (out of the 17.2 million total population), representing 62 per cent and 56 per cent of the refugee population, respectively. Among IDPs, 56 per cent of the population was covered by sex-disaggregated data, while only 26 per cent was covered by agedisaggregated data. For asylum-seekers, the coverage was 58 per cent for sex-disaggregated data and 49 per cent for age. For the other types of population of concern reported to UNHCR, the figures for sex and age disaggregation were as follows: returned IDPs (51 54 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Age-disaggregated data available per cent and 36 per cent, respectively), others of concern (86 per cent and 73 per cent), returned refugees (83 per cent and 79 per cent), and stateless people (69 per cent and 1 per cent). Based on the available data, 49 per cent of refugees were women in 2016 (Table 5). This was a small increase over 2015 but consistent with trends in earlier years. As in 2014 and 2015, the proportion of children under the age of 18 among refugees remained at 51 per cent. In addition, there was a change of only one percentage point in the working age (18-59) and older (60 plus) populations, which were 45 per cent and 4 per cent of the total population, respectively. Many countries in subSaharan Africa hosted refugee populations with a higher proportion of children, reflective of the younger population structure in the region. Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Niger, and South Sudan all hosted refugee populations with more than 60 per cent children by end-2016, with clear implications for the provision of protection and services. LOCATION CHARACTERISTICS Knowing where displaced people are and how they are living is as important as knowing who they are when it comes to delivering assistance and protection. UNHCR requests geographically disaggregated data on 70 UNHCR’s population of concern includes refugees, IDPs, returnees, others of concern, and stateless people. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 8 Table 5 D emographic characteristics of refugees 2003-2016 (% of total population) Age Year Women <18 18-59 >60 2003 48 49 46 5 2004 48 50 45 5 2005 48 46 49 5 2006 47 47 49 4 2007 47 46 49 5 2008 48 44 51 5 2009 47 41 54 5 2010 47 44 51 5 2011 48 46 49 5 2012 48 46 49 5 2013 49 50 46 4 2014 49 51 46 3 2015 47 51 46 3 2016 49 51 45 4 These percentages are based on available data and exclude countries where no demographic information is available. This is particularly the case for high-income countries. populations of concern from its office, partners, and governments, and classifies locations into urban and rural localities (as well as a various/unknown category, which includes locations that are a mix of urban and rural or where the categorization is unclear). Additionally, UNHCR collects data on the type of accommodation in which individuals reside, especially for refugee populations. This information is important for efficient policymaking and programme design. Accommodation types are classified as planned/ managed camp, self-settled camp, collective centre, reception/transit camp, and individual accommodation (private), as well as various/unknown if the information is not known, unclear, or does not fit in any of the other categories. Excluding refugees living in unknown locations, by the end of 2016 some 60 per cent of refugees were living in urban areas, similar to 2015, highlighting the increasingly urban nature of the refugee population. This information was available for 14.2 million refugees in 2016, covering 82 per cent of the refugee population, a lower proportion from the previous year.71 Disaggregated data on where people were located at the subnational level are collected by UNHCR. However, the extent of this data was variable. Altogether for 2016, UNHCR had data on location at the subnational level for 42.5 million people out of the total population of concern of 67.2 million people, equal to 63 per cent. There was information for some 73 per cent of the refugee population and 62 per cent of the IDP population, but only 25 per cent of asylum-seekers. Accommodation type was known for some 14.0 million refugees, about 81 per cent of the global total, a decline from 2015 and from the past five years (Table 6). By the end of 2016, 63 per cent of refugees lived in individual accommodation, similar to 2014 and a decline from 2015. As in previous years, the Syrian refugee crisis was characterized overwhelmingly by refugees living in private or individual accommodation rather than camps, with 90 per cent doing so (of those for whom there were data). As with previous years, most refugees residing in rural locations were in a planned/managed camp (67 per cent), with only 18 per cent in individual accommodation. In urban locations, refugees for whom there were data almost exclusively lived in individual accommodation, with very few in any kind of camp or organized settlement. Table 6 Accommodation of refugees 2014-2016 (end-year) Type of accommodation Planned/ managed camp No. of refugees Distribution (%) 2014 2015 2016 2014 2015 2016 % urban 2014 % women 2015 2016 2014 % children 2015 2016 2014 2015 2016 3,512,500 3,390,900 4,011,000 29.3 25.4 28.6 7.0 1.4 3.3 50.5 51.4 51.4 55.7 57.6 58.6 Self-settled camp 487,500 518,600 525,200 4.1 3.9 3.7 0.4 7.6 7.2 52.9 53.3 52.4 56.3 57.1 56.5 Collective centre Individual accommodation (private) Reception/ transit camp 302,000 301,900 320,100 2.5 2.3 2.3 95.3 87.1 100.0 47.8 45.0 18.6 54.4 46.8 17.0 7,578,400 8,949,200 8,877,100 63.2 67.0 63.3 87.3 87.8 87.8 47.9 47.5 48.3 49.0 48.2 49.2 111,700 197,600 281,800 0.9 1.5 2.0 15.1 10.7 9.6 51.5 51.3 62.5 51.0 54.3 35.7 Sub-total Unknown Grand total 11,992,100 13,358,200 14,015,200 100.0 100.0 100.0 2,393,200 2,763,200 3,172,200 14,385,300 16,121,400 17,187,500 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 71 Excludes data that were reported as unknown or unclear (3.0 million). 55 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 9 WHOM DO THE STATISTICS INCLUDE? POPULATION OF CONCERN TO UNHCR By the end of 2016, the total population of concern to UNHCR stood at 67.7 million people. This included people who have been forcibly displaced (refugees, asylum-seekers, and internally displaced persons) and those who have found a durable solution (returnees), as well as stateless persons, most of whom have never been forcibly displaced. Therefore, this categorization is different from the 65.6 million forcibly displaced people worldwide – a figure that includes refugees and other displaced people not covered by UNHCR’s mandate, and excludes other categories such as returnees and stateless people. A detailed breakdown of UNHCR’s population of concern by category and country is provided in Annex Table 1. 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, and those enjoying temporary protection. The refugee population also includes people in refugee-like situations. 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 at the end of 2016, irrespective of when those claims may have been lodged. 56 Internally displaced persons are people or groups of people 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. For the purposes of UNHCR’s statistics, this population includes only conflictgenerated IDPs to whom the Office extends protection and/or assistance. The IDP population also includes people in an IDP-like situation. Returned refugees (returnees) are former refugees who have returned to their countries of origin, either spontaneously or in an organized fashion, but are yet to be fully integrated. Such returns normally would take place only under conditions of safety and dignity. For the purposes of this report, only refugees who returned between UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 CHAPTER 9 January and December 2016 are included, although in practice operations may assist returnees for longer periods. Returned IDPs refers to those IDPs who were beneficiaries of UNHCR’s protection and assistance activities, and who returned to their areas of origin or habitual residence between January and December 2016. In practice, however, operations may assist IDP returnees for longer periods. Individuals 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 people 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 people 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 people 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. SOUTH SUDAN. A FARMER SIEVES SORGHUM AT AKOBO MARKET, JONGLEI STATE. The cost of sorghum recently increased by 30 per cent, making the grain unaffordable to the conflict-affected population in South Sudan and to those returning to Jonglei State. On arrival in Akobo, returnees receive humanitarian aid including blankets, sleeping mats, plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and cooking sets from UNHCR’s partner Nile Hole. © UNHCR /ROCCO NURI UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 57 ANNEXES Annex tables 3 through 29 can be downloaded from the UNHCR website at: http://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends/2016-GlobalTrends-annex-tables.zip 58 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 ANNEXES Historical review of the 51 major source countries of refugees This matrix depicts the annual ranking of countries of origin of refugees since 1980. Countries are listed if they featured among the top-20 at least once. Individual rankings are the result of population movements, demographic and legal changes, data revisions and re-classification of individual population groups. Palestinian refugees under UNHCR’s mandate are excluded as a result of incomplete data. Rank 1 1980 Rank 2-5 1985 1990 Rank 6-10 1995 Rank 11-20 2000 2005 2010 #of times in top 20 2015 37 32 7 15 2 15 31 8 9 11 14 10 3 13 32 9 2 26 15 3 4 37 12 17 5 2 14 25 8 4 2 2 10 16 23 15 12 29 4 4 17 34 5 2 1 11 8 3 36 37 30 5 Afghanistan Angola Armenia Azerbaijan Bhutan Bosnia and H. Burundi Cambodia Central African Rep. Chad China Colombia Côte d’Ivoire Croatia Dem. Rep. of Congo El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea a Ethiopia Guatemala Iran (Islamic Rep. of) Iraq Lao People’s Dem. Rep. Liberia Mali Mauritania Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nicaragua Nigeria Pakistan Philippines Russian Federation Rwanda b Serbia Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa South Sudan Sri Lanka c Sudan Syrian Arab Rep. Timor-Leste Togo Turkey Uganda Ukraine d Unknown origin Viet Nam Western Sahara Yemen a Ethiopia: includes Eritrea until its independence in the absence of seperate statistics available for both countries. b Serbia and Kosovo: S/RES/1244 (1999). Includes Montenegro until its independence in the absence of seperate statistics available for both countries. c Sudan: includes South Sudan until its independence in the absence of seperate statistics available for both countries. d Unknown origin: Refers to refugees whose country of origin is unknown. Data availability has improved significantly over the years. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 59 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 end-2016 All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Country/ territory of asylum1 Afghanistan Albania10 Algeria11 Angola12 Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia 13 Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh14 Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba 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 China15 China, Hong Kong SAR China, Macao SAR Colombia Comoros Congo, Republic of Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire 16 Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus17 Czechia 60 Refugees2 59,771 138 94,232 15,555 1 4 3,293 3,313 1 42,188 93,250 1,193 13 271 33,207 1,650 42,168 809 - Total refugees People in and people refugee- in refugee- Of whom like like assisted by situations3 situations UNHCR Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 IDPs protected/ assisted by Persons UNHCR, incl. under Others of people in UNHCR’s concern Total IDP-like Returned statelessness to population Returned IDPs7 mandate 8 UNHCR9 of concern refugees 5 situations 6 14,573 243,000 - 59,771 138 94,232 15,555 1 4 3,293 17,886 1 42,188 93,250 1,193 13 271 276,207 1,650 42,168 809 - 59,771 137 90,227 268 1 4 50 6,944 1 1,193 13 271 33,207 511 809 - 128 2,752 5,712 30,143 3,991 82 4 29,590 76,409 230 18 111 1 2 231 24,111 2,431 226 - 383,951 5 - 1,797,551 613,129 - - 786 - 786 154 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 5,271 - 5,271 5,271 53 5 98,324 - 2,093 9,689 17,814 32,552 57,469 66 348,672 97,332 18 12,115 391,251 1,737 317,255 26,743 - 2,093 9,689 17,814 32,552 57,469 66 375,415 97,332 18 12,115 391,251 1,737 317,255 2,093 1,829 17,814 32,552 57,469 64 375,415 6 11,376 379,266 59 158 80 35,464 16,042 124 3,613 177 3,251 23,935 24 304 1,909 3,223 668 4,117 134 34,403 28 - 141,221 198,889 411,785 124,342 - 18,213 - 110 - 110 - - - - - 258 46,457 4,180 1,399 304 316 54 8,484 3,644 - 258 46,457 4,180 1,399 304 316 54 8,484 3,644 67 46,457 4,180 1,399 304 202 54 572 - 5 386 6,675 3,646 284 557 27 57 3,088 775 204 11 19,552 44 - 7,410,816 15,303 - - 4,921 512 937 3,585 6,182 2,630 - 114,221 181 1,709 - 2,355,622 7,811 99,949 45,698 1 4 7,465 18,480 5 71,778 170,596 618,137 31 382 276,208 2 8,063 68,909 4,140 1,035 - - - 789 - - - 49 52,437 156,139 4 20,524 67 974 115 - 659 22,930 655 33 36,718 - 2,832 68,087 20,524 33,923 32,676 208,049 115 243 595,935 121,267 42 458,607 554,248 4,960 317,923 - - 110 11 127 694,000 2,873 1,502 3,152 118 14,518 6,000 - 5 7,411,675 71,598 7,953 715,353 18,296 343 111 17,572 5,921 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 ... 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 end-2016 (ctnd) All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Country/ territory of asylum1 Dem. Rep. of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Rep.18 Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia19 Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti 20 Honduras Hungary Iceland 21 India Indonesia Iran (Islamic Rep. of) Iraq 22 Ireland Israel 23 Italy Jamaica Japan 24 Jordan 25 Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Dem. Rep. Latvia 26 Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania 27 Luxembourg Madagascar Refugees2 Total refugees People in and people refugee- in refugee- Of whom like like assisted by situations3 situations UNHCR Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 IDPs protected/ assisted by Persons UNHCR, incl. under Others of people in UNHCR’s concern Total IDP-like Returned statelessness to population Returned IDPs7 mandate 8 UNHCR9 of concern refugees 5 situations 6 451,956 - 451,956 343,904 1,327 13,223 2,232,900 619,600 - - 3,319,006 33,507 17,683 592 60,524 213,530 45 2,342 322 791,631 12 18,401 304,546 931 7,940 1,513 669,482 11,865 21,484 1 300 5,068 9,263 11 5 16 4,748 179 197,851 7,827 979,435 261,888 5,731 411 147,370 15 2,514 685,197 653 451,099 939 339 42,324 612 24,943 32,535 - 33,507 17,683 592 102,848 213,530 45 2,342 322 791,631 12 18,401 304,546 931 7,940 2,125 669,482 11,865 46,427 1 300 5,068 9,263 11 5 16 4,748 179 197,851 7,827 979,435 261,888 5,731 32,946 147,370 15 2,514 685,197 653 451,099 939 339 17,683 592 18,950 143,530 45 2,342 791,631 12 931 7,940 941 11,865 1 217 5,068 9,263 11 5 12 67 24,594 7,827 979,435 261,888 98 4,781 15 386 685,197 653 451,099 818 337 6,339 8,061 796 24,542 49,877 1 8 43 1,964 2 5,600 62,771 1,909 312 587,346 1,371 39,986 2 108 32 5 10 3,413 161 9,219 6,578 91 11,458 4,322 11,677 99,921 9 18,801 35,615 137 43,764 823 120 1 1 1 11 157 4 - 273,765 174,000 3,604,285 - 1,397,016 - 7,610 19 82,585 2,671 1,370 580 12,017 198 2,302 135 131 48,200 99 42 701 626 8,451 20,000 93,000 2,334 118 9,800 16 537 23,900 4,800 3,162 - 47,456 25,862 1,388 127,390 263,426 9,846 2,367 82,950 794,133 14 26,672 368,687 2,841 7,940 276,782 1,268,845 13,236 86,611 1 24,202 5,176 9,295 11 2,312 178,826 8,296 471 207,070 14,405 979,537 5,326,166 10,152 44,665 247,992 24 21,941 720,812 9,241 514,867 94,762 2,793 - - - - - - - - - - - 349 1,012,969 45 18,990 9,310 163 1,093 2,046 28 - 349 1,012,969 45 18,990 9,310 163 1,093 2,046 28 1,012,969 18,990 8,310 28 148 13,745 3 17 29,237 79 82 2,213 27 - 174,510 - 449,840 - 242,736 3,466 83 - 4,589 1,479 - 243,233 1,031,303 48 20,486 662,897 242 4,641 4,342 55 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 ... 61 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 end-2016 (ctnd) All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Country/ territory of asylum1 Malawi Malaysia 28 Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia (Federated States of) Monaco 29 Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar 30 Namibia Nauru Nepal 31 Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines 32 Poland Portugal Qatar Rep. of Korea Rep. of Moldova Romania Russian Federation 33 Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Kosovo: S/RES/1244 (1999) Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 62 Refugees2 Total refugees People in and people refugee- in refugee- Of whom like like assisted by situations3 situations UNHCR Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 IDPs protected/ assisted by Persons UNHCR, incl. under Others of people in UNHCR’s concern Total IDP-like Returned statelessness to population Returned IDPs7 mandate 8 UNHCR9 of concern refugees 5 situations 6 9,392 92,054 17,512 7,948 48,148 6,202 209 26,000 - 9,392 92,263 17,512 7,948 74,148 6,202 9,392 92,263 17,512 3,515 48,148 866 21,023 56,311 301 902 587 5 2,647 9,758 - 36,690 - 35,986 - 10,931 13 80,000 - 30,415 239,505 100,247 8,850 74,735 5 8,862 4 - 4 4 - - - - - - 4 32 8 974 4,771 4,671 1,757 506 25,249 101,744 1,421 331 166,093 1,367 59,522 317 1,352,560 1 2,350 4,955 204 1,649 408 11,747 1,194 177 1,807 432 2,905 228,990 156,065 2 15,000 4,581 - 32 8 974 4,771 4,671 1,757 506 25,249 101,744 1,421 331 166,093 1,367 59,522 317 1,352,560 1 17,350 9,536 204 1,649 408 11,747 1,194 177 1,807 432 2,905 228,990 156,065 2 8 728 4,771 2,658 1,757 24,483 234 166,093 1,367 317 1,352,560 1 309 45 170 117 177 110 432 308 6,758 156,065 2 3 82 1,962 12,980 1,675 302 72 10,411 303 334 65 467 7,556 366 4,856 3 4,471 23 33 4,392 214 3,431 858 142 6,861 85 74 3,039 464 1 5,755 74 8 7 56 6,105 - 15,128 375,016 121,391 2,219,272 448,956 87,418 - 1,346 689,906 704,370 255,626 - 14 3,237 925,939 1,951 1 3,251 2 4,636 10,825 14 1,200 197 4,776 249 90,771 - 2 11,451 50 849 1 14,678 68 1,446 - 32 27 15,744 6,733 38,534 1,302,375 3,490 808 26,170 114,106 1,724 667 302,227 2,911,012 70,329 683 2,510,749 4 21,823 9,559 237 6,041 348,370 26,003 2,066 1,519 8,865 5,293 3,228 322,856 164,080 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 3 - 3 3 - - - - - - 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 133 14,584 7 - 140 14,584 140 14,584 50 3,219 - - - 70,000 - - 70,190 17,803 29,522 7,000 36,522 12,489 130 166 219,633 477 2,373 - 259,301 2 683 - - 2 683 - 2 449 - 7 - 3 - - - - 1 2 693 1 3 - 3 3 7 - - - - - 10 ... UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 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 end-2016 (ctnd) All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Country/ territory of asylum1 Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa 34 South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka State of Palestine Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Rep. 35 Tajikistan Thailand 36 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey 37 Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Uganda Ukraine38 United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United Rep. of Tanzania United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan39 Vanuatu Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Viet Nam Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe 40 Total Refugees2 Total refugees People in and people refugee- in refugee- Of whom like like assisted by situations3 situations UNHCR Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 IDPs protected/ assisted by Persons UNHCR, incl. under Others of people in UNHCR’s concern Total IDP-like Returned statelessness to population Returned IDPs7 mandate 8 UNHCR9 of concern refugees 5 situations 6 990 462 11,574 91,043 262,560 12,989 604 421,466 1 728 230,164 82,681 19,809 2,729 54,251 52,196 990 462 11,574 91,043 262,560 12,989 604 421,466 1 728 230,164 82,681 19,809 2,729 106,447 11,574 262,560 604 380,409 1 197 19,809 1,716 106,447 38 319 12,794 218,299 1,792 20,360 576 16,052 46 385 83,103 30,800 12,494 431 5,010 36,133 1 1,054 37,215 7 1 - 1,562,554 1,853,924 39,730 2,225,557 6,325,978 - 752,261 12,445 600,000 - 1,523 4 1,011 36,036 66 160,000 17,002 487,741 45 130 3,758 1 3 13,628 261 2,596 785 1,623,185 309,342 2,870,538 34,360 54,409 2,704,048 48 1,123 349,303 113,547 7,131,910 20,162 599,459 477 160 637 637 21 - - - 600 - 1,258 12,491 109 649 2,869,421 27 - 12,491 109 649 2,869,421 27 6,877 109 649 2,869,421 27 783 209 33 245,955 - 5 - - - 780 5,744 2 8 3 - 2 13,279 326 685 3,116,156 5,771 4 - 4 4 - - - - - - 4 940,835 3,302 895 118,995 - 940,835 3,302 895 118,995 940,835 523 895 - 41,880 6,573 612 46,784 8 - 1,800,000 - - 35,363 64 180,000 - 1,162,715 1,845,246 1,507 165,843 281,498 - 281,498 281,498 8,539 6 - - - 168,785 458,828 272,959 - 272,959 - 542,649 - - - - - 815,608 312 27 - - 312 27 - 92 27 - 371 - 3 - - - 86,524 - - 683 86,554 - 7,861 164,192 172,053 6,282 904 - - - - - 172,957 269,783 29,350 7,426 16,533,413 654,075 269,783 120,051 29,350 23,750 7,426 7,426 17,187,488 12,903,863 9,097 3,319 952 2,826,508 6 1 6 552,230 2,025,060 36.627.127 974,058 6.511.144 11,000 3,242,207 11,000 6 12 3,278,011 24,540 57,209 1,680 10,064 803,134 67,749,838 ... UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 63 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 end-2016 (ctnd) All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Country/ territory of asylum1 Refugees2 Total refugees People in and people refugee- in refugee- Of whom like like assisted by situations3 situations UNHCR Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 IDPs protected/ assisted by Persons UNHCR, incl. under Others of people in UNHCR’s concern Total IDP-like Returned statelessness to population Returned IDPs7 mandate 8 UNHCR9 of concern refugees 5 situations 6 UNHCR-Bureaux - Central AfricaGreat Lakes - East and Horn of Africa - Southern Africa - Western Africa Total Africa Asia and Pacific Middle East and North Africa Europe Americas Total 1,355,163 26,743 1,381,906 1,273,115 26,082 58,000 3,000,098 637,813 974 174,071 5,278,944 3,290,441 - 3,290,441 162,090 300,616 5,108,310 3,177,842 26,743 299,986 162,090 300,616 5,135,053 3,477,828 3,237,399 128,224 73,383 5,766,377 752,261 20,000 221,277 10,251,963 47,571 294,768 4,852,853 2,684,814 288,891 7,004 450,201 140,482 5,776 29,318 166,477 385,100 15,128 2,377,353 11,158,956 2,748,671 725,892 2,115,966 973,787 694,115 715,089 1,581,663 26,932 16,275 438,555 195,404 498,817 4,150,573 19,625,900 9,502,935 2,623,429 58,542 2,681,971 2,402,948 5,152,654 471,178 16,533,413 47,288 221,516 654,075 5,199,942 692,694 17,187,488 2,928,663 34,585 12,903,863 183,598 170 12,129,833 3,420,914 372,461 21,394 18,810,341 1,397,587 654,640 2,826,508 279 204 552,230 3,004,851 7,584,816 36,627,127 477 6,511,144 570,534 2,460 3,242,207 84,451 63,330 803,134 10,258,121 8,998,144 67,749,838 5,478,950 8,265,465 2,268,730 52,743 343,132 32,103 5,531,693 8,608,597 2,300,833 5,148,488 7,671,178 49,592 537,609 456,116 1,147,920 166,488 385,259 279 11,333,466 15,590,888 2,117,957 2,565,806 3,944,861 477 715,108 1,959,562 565,077 438,558 222,795 78,451 21,288,728 31,168,078 6,210,994 100,887 221,516 322,403 370,291 49,090 16,533,413 4,581 654,075 370,291 53,671 17,187,488 34,585 88,056 204 7,584,816 - 2,460 63,330 8,061,269 20 12,903,863 566,584 30,223 2,826,508 552,230 36,627,127 6,511,144 3,242,207 803,134 936,875 83,894 67,749,838 UN major regions Africa Asia Europe Latin America and the Caribbean Northern America Oceania Total 64 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 ANNEX TABLE 1 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. All data are provisional and subject to change. 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. Where cases have been reported with an average number of persons, the number of cases reported has been multiplied by this average. This calculation has only been done to total numbers of asylumseekers by country of asylum. 5 Refugees who have returned to their place of origin during 2016. 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 2016. 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. See Annex Table 7 at http://www.unhcr.org/ statistics/16-WRD-table-7.xls for detailed notes. 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 The statelessness figure refers to a census from 2011 and has been adjusted to reflect the number of persons with undetermined nationality who had their nationality confirmed in 2011-2016. 11 According to the Government of Algeria, there are an estimated 165,000 Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps. 12 All figures relate to the end of 2015. 13 Australia’s figures for asylum-seekers are based on the number of applications lodged for protection visas. 14 The refugee population includes 243,000 persons originating from Myanmar in a refugee-like situation. The Government of Bangladesh estimates the population to be between 300,000 and 500,000. 15 The 300,000 Vietnamese refugees are well integrated and in practice receive protection from the Government of China. 16 The statelessness figure is based on a Government estimate of individuals who themselves or whose parents or grandparents migrated to Côte d’Ivoire before or just after independence and who did not establish their nationality at independence or before the nationality law changed in 1972. The estimate is derived in part from cases denied voter registration in 2010 because electoral authorities could not determine their nationality at the time. The estimation is adjusted to reflect the number of persons who acquired nationality through the special ‘acquisition of nationality by declaration’ procedure until end of 2016. The estimate does not include individuals of unknown parentage who were abandoned as children and who are not considered as nationals under Ivorian law. 17 UNHCR’s assistance activities for IDPs in Cyprus ended in 1999. Visit the website of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) for further information. 18 UNHCR is currently working with the authorities and other actors to determine the size of the population that found an effective nationality solution under Law 169-14. Since the adoption of Law 169-14 in May 2014, important steps have been taken by the Dominican Republic to confirm Dominican nationality through the validation of birth certificates of individuals born in the country to two migrant parents. Thousands of individuals also are believed to have been issued their Dominican civil documents in 2016, although an official figure was not available for this report. 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. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 20 Figure refers to individuals without a nationality who were born in the Dominican Republic prior to January 2010 and who were identified by UNHCR in Haiti since June 2015. 21 All figures relate to the end of 2015. 22 Pending a more accurate study into stateless 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. 23 All figures relate to the end of 2015. 24 Figures are UNHCR estimates. 25 Includes 33,100 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 includes refugees and other categories of Iraqis. 26 With respect to persons under UNHCR’s statelessness mandate, this figure includes persons of concern covered by two separate Latvian laws. 176 persons fall under the Republic of Latvia’s Law on Stateless Persons on 17 February 2004. 242,560 of the persons fall under Latvia’s 25 April 1995 Law on the Status of those Former USSR Citizens who are not Citizens of Latvia or Any Other State (“Non-citizens”). In the specific context of Latvia, the “Non-citizens” enjoy the right to reside in Latvia ex lege and a set of rights and obligations generally beyond the rights prescribed by the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, including protection from removal, and as such the “Non-citizens” may currently be considered persons to whom the Convention does not apply in accordance with Article 1.2(ii). 27 All figures relate to the end of 2015. 28 The updated statelessness figure is based on a registration and community legal assistance programme undertaken in West Malaysia by a local NGO with technical support from UNHCR, which began in 2014. During 2016, 874 persons of those registered acquired Malaysian nationality. 29 All figures relate to the end of 2015. 30 The figure of persons of concern under the statelessness mandate relates to stateless persons in Rakhine state and persons of undetermined nationality residing in other states in Myanmar. The figure of stateless persons in Rakhine state has been estimated on the basis of the 2014 census report. It does not include an estimated 147,000 stateless IDPs, persons in an IDP-like situation who are also of concern under the statelessness mandate because they are already included within the figures on IDPs. In Rakhine State, the total number of stateless persons is estimated to be approximately one million. Revisions have been made to reduce the number of stateless persons due to departures to Bangladesh after October 2016. Outside of Rakhine state, the figure of those with undetermined nationality (25,939) is based on government data released on 27 December 2016 indicating the number of persons who hold an Identity Card for National Verification, whose citizenship has not yet been confirmed. 31 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. 32 The updated statelessness figure is based on a registration exercise covering 28 municipalities that has taken place between 2014 and 2016. 4,112 of the registered group were confirmed as Filipino, Indonesian or dual nationals during 2016. 33 The statelessness figure refers to the census figure from 2010 adjusted to reflect the number of stateless persons who acquired nationality in 2011-2016. 34 An adjustment to 2015 and 2016 end of year figures, in particular for the number of asylum applications pending on appeal and review, has resulted in a substantially lower figure for numbers of asylum seekers reported in South Africa. 35 Refugee figure for Iraqis and Stateless persons in the Syrian Arab Republic was a Government estimate. UNHCR has registered and is assisting 16,900 Iraqis at the end of 2016. 36 The figure on the number of registered stateless persons has been updated by the Royal Thai Government. It includes an increase of 61,070 persons who are expected to form a large proportion of the group which will benefit from positive changes introduced to the nationality framework in December 2016. In addition it reflects decreases as a result of 8,814 stateless persons acquiring Thai nationality in 2016 and 8,377 cases that were de-registered because of death or duplicate registration. 37 Refugee figure for Syrians in Turkey was a Government estimate. 38 IDP figure in Ukraine includes 800,000 people who are in an IDP-like situation. 39 The statelessness figure refers to stateless persons with permanent residence reported by the Government in 2010. The figure has been adjusted to reflect the acquisition of nationality of 179 formerly stateless persons. Information on other categories of stateless persons is not available. 40 A study is being pursued to provide a revised estimate of statelessness figure. Source: UNHCR/Governments. 65 ANNEX TABLE 2 Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs), stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin end-2016 All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Total refugees and People in people in refugee-like refugee-like situations3 situations Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 of whom: UNHCRassisted Returned refugees 5 IDPs protected/ assisted by UNHCR, Persons incl. under people in UNHCR’s Others of Total IDP-like Returned statelessness concern to population 6 7 8 9 situations IDPs mandate UNHCR of concern Origin1 Refugees2 Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa 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 2,488,689 11,065 3,726 2 8,404 1 83 128 10,719 14 6 9,539 299 462 13,847 148 3,840 45 57 489 11,757 12,756 573 3 - 2,501,445 11,065 3,726 2 8,404 1 83 128 10,719 14 6 10,112 299 462 13,850 148 3,840 45 57 489 11,757 2,328,486 67 939 1 48 2,092 25 90 8 8 10,452 368,957 23,787 7,162 3 4 4,773 32 214 13,100 15 6 8,097 121 95 25,931 45 1,940 21 160 1,174 2 286 383,951 5 - 1,797,551 613,129 - - - 114,221 1 7 19,958 12 1 15 1 7 - 5,166,125 34,853 10,900 3 6 33,135 1 115 342 23,831 29 12 631,339 420 557 39,796 193 5,780 67 217 1,670 2 12,043 537 - 537 15 422 - - - - - 959 18,199 - 18,199 1,742 3,112 5 98,324 - - 52,438 172,078 272 809 1 805 2,357 408,085 13 12,415 10,374 84 7 490,892 14,193 498 207,772 14 - 272 809 1 805 2,357 408,085 13 12,429 10,374 84 7 490,892 14,193 498 207,772 2 1 4 399,381 176 248 2 488,087 11,322 11 279 126 3,776 4 260 4,212 24,400 103 383 10,928 67 10,603 3,180 205 72,144 4,117 134 34,403 28 - 141,221 198,889 411,785 124,342 - 18,213 - - 1 1 164,066 27 21,012 16,722 2 399 4,585 5 1,066 6,569 741,889 116 12,812 238,565 151 7 968,695 158,465 703 279,918 12 - 12 - 112 - - - - - 124 4 91,240 576 13,302 1 208 46,813 26,230 4,948 35 219,822 1,000 - 4 311,062 576 13,302 1 208 46,813 26,230 5,948 35 28,154 1,151 1 34,109 8,906 516 - 1 12,576 240 4,341 308 18,621 350 5,027 - 204 11 19,552 44 - 7,410,816 15,303 - - - 100 17 14,518 - 5 7,734,658 816 33,057 1 516 85,003 41,142 10,975 35 ... 66 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 ANNEX TABLE 2 Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs), stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin end-2016 (ctnd) All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Origin1 Cyprus11 Czechia Dem. People's Rep. of Korea Dem. Rep. of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Rep. Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Guiana 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 Refugees2 Total refugees and People in people in refugee-like refugee-like situations3 situations Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 of whom: UNHCRassisted Returned refugees 5 IDPs protected/ assisted by UNHCR, Persons incl. under people in UNHCR’s Others of Total IDP-like Returned statelessness concern to population 6 7 8 9 situations IDPs mandate UNHCR of concern 2 1,271 - 2 1,271 - 9 240 - - - - - 11 1,511 1,422 - 1,422 81 533 - - - - - 1,955 537,265 208 537,473 465,526 82,572 13,223 2,232,900 619,600 - 9,471 3,495,239 2 1,440 24 361 1,046 19,796 19,614 142 431,704 305 83,966 792 4 54 1 171 11,600 6,403 74 15,541 1 105 101 12,554 17,548 1,653 272 29,684 10,507 2,909 7,291 8,321 93,760 307,986 5 495 51 2,005 59 1,933 2,364 7,534 1 1,021 2,573 27,726 4,743 334 8,044 1 - 2 1,440 24 361 1,046 19,796 19,614 142 459,430 305 83,966 792 4 54 1 171 11,600 6,403 74 15,541 1 105 101 12,554 17,548 1,653 272 29,684 10,507 2,909 7,291 13,064 94,094 316,030 5 495 51 2,005 59 1,933 2,364 7,535 1 1,021 2,573 92 7 19 284 1,181 8 282,125 40,902 1 4 119 290 1 4,066 66 211 21 619 589 1 15 780 15,959 131,365 2 1 13 127 17 3,548 28 242 7 840 123 2,350 13,699 13,050 62,167 105 64,266 47 78,054 514 7 121 442 18,907 10,289 132 11,546 86 65 46,227 24,397 1,882 300 22,459 35,203 1,663 3 27,782 3,586 87,491 278,329 41 550 145 1,144 81 2,438 2,237 3,550 654 2,370 1 1 1 11 157 4 - 273,765 174,000 3,604,285 - 1,397,016 - - 1 2 111 9,800 73 691 4 1 1 22,930 4,800 3 264 3 273 15,778 131 23 - 10 2,282 147 2,711 14,745 32,957 91,581 247 523,770 352 162,712 1,306 11 175 1 614 30,507 290,457 206 27,091 1 192 166 58,781 41,946 3,535 572 75,073 224,510 4,575 3 35,337 16,653 181,869 5,611,595 46 1,045 196 3,149 140 4,502 4,601 11,112 1 1,675 4,943 ... UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 67 ANNEX TABLE 2 Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs), stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin end-2016 (ctnd) All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Origin1 Lao People's Dem. Rep. Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia (Federated States of) Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar13 Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian14 Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Rep. of Korea Rep. of Moldova Refugees2 Total refugees and People in people in refugee-like refugee-like situations3 situations Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 of whom: UNHCRassisted Returned refugees 5 IDPs protected/ assisted by UNHCR, Persons incl. under people in UNHCR’s Others of Total IDP-like Returned statelessness concern to population 6 7 8 9 situations IDPs mandate UNHCR of concern 7,232 - 7,232 2 170 - - - - - 7,402 172 4,740 - 172 4,740 7 142 98 8,490 - - - - - 270 13,230 12 - 12 - 698 - - - - - 710 6,566 8,836 73 2 297 427 456 57 156,428 3 36,266 111 10,385 7 - 6,573 8,836 73 2 297 427 456 57 156,428 3 36,266 111 10,385 3,193 862 4 1 2 11 139,162 29,006 22 2,626 6,516 79 54 3,752 6,165 39 9,708 1 7,393 203 64,269 9,758 - 174,510 36,690 - 449,840 35,986 - - 110 6 4 23 4 - 9,309 639,708 152 2 355 4,179 6,621 96 248,593 1 3 43,663 314 74,654 - - - - - - - - - - - 3 2,285 718 2,262 50 195,086 1,366 8,376 37 28 1,419 1,235 202,564 19 1 10 38 105,426 2 97,796 40 399 71 2,609 424 1,159 19 29 250 2,317 295,203 1 26,747 2 10 1 3 2,285 718 2,262 50 490,289 1,366 8,377 37 28 1,419 1,235 229,311 19 1 10 38 105,428 2 97,796 40 399 71 2,609 434 1,159 19 29 250 2,318 4 56 5 239,712 925 26 531 454 202,174 6 63,966 16,350 2 84 26 1 1 21 1 3,816 1,130 7,202 5,712 55,976 141 11,538 49 18 2,126 861 66,357 18 25 67,748 2 5,984 84 264 115 2,301 3,120 561 78 23 276 4,092 5,755 74 8 7 - 15,128 375,016 121,391 2,219,272 448,956 87,418 - 1,346 689,906 704,370 255,626 - - 2 9 262 41 585 1 14,678 14 2,199 80,053 1 4 6,103 1,848 9,473 26,645 922,963 1,556 20,500 86 47 3,545 138,165 3,204,860 19 1 28 63 1,326,509 4 105,979 124 663 186 4,910 426,651 1,720 97 52 526 6,411 ... 68 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 ANNEX TABLE 2 Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs), stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin end-2016 (ctnd) All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Origin1 Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint-Pierre-etMiquelon 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 Sudan15 Spain Sri Lanka Sudan16 Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Rep. Tajikistan Thailand The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Tibetan Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine17 United Arab Emirates Refugees2 Total refugees and People in people in refugee-like refugee-like situations3 situations Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 of whom: UNHCRassisted Returned refugees 5 IDPs protected/ assisted by UNHCR, Persons incl. under people in UNHCR’s Others of Total IDP-like Returned statelessness concern to population 6 7 8 9 situations IDPs mandate UNHCR of concern 1,199 62,759 286,073 49 994 - 1,199 62,759 286,073 49 994 1 709 168,351 - 2,498 34,993 11,709 23 199 56 6,105 - - - - 2 2 6,004 - 3,699 97,810 309,891 72 1,193 1,333 - 1,333 - 133 - - - - - 1,466 1 - 1 - 1 - - - - - 2 1 2 - 1 2 - 11 - - - - - - 12 2 29 - 29 26 12 - - - - - 41 936 23,061 - 936 23,061 30 15,955 1,000 16,319 - - - - 9 - 1,945 39,380 36,773 160 36,933 1,417 21,701 166 219,633 477 - - 278,910 14 4,679 41 - 14 4,679 41 856 1 8 4,677 55 3 - - - - 1,479 - 22 10,838 96 - - - - - - - - - - - 794 21 69 1,012,323 450 1,436,651 35 117,479 646,036 18 68 4,604 - 794 21 69 1,012,323 450 1,436,719 35 117,479 650,640 18 732,029 9 1,395,434 1,721 610,784 - 586 16 80 60,454 959 5,707 133 15,198 46,888 29 36,133 1 1,054 37,215 - 1,562,554 1,853,924 39,730 2,225,557 - 752,261 12,445 - - 291 7 12 123 1 1,380 37 149 2,671,755 1,416 4,048,612 168 185,918 2,960,423 48 - - - - - - - - - - - 229 15 6 5,500,448 925 157 23,929 1 229 15 6 5,524,377 925 158 1 4,865,723 59 19 145 20 13 184,218 3,199 957 7 1 - 6,325,978 - 600,000 - - 2 8,518 - 383 35 19 12,643,092 4,124 1,115 1,738 - 1,738 5 6,898 - - - - - 8,636 13,534 21 8,310 27 295 1,700 57,925 377 1 - 13,534 22 8,310 27 295 1,700 57,925 377 13,514 2 3,495 53 15,802 22 9 4 2,657 78 241 2,050 23,228 1,073 5 - - - - 6 7 45 - 13,543 26 10,972 105 542 3,757 81,198 1,450 16 - 16 - 3 - - - - - 19 2 6,233 238,804 112 271 - 2 6,233 239,075 112 895 4,911 3 1 5,323 27,862 165 8 - 1,800,000 - - - 180,002 5 - 3 191,558 2,066,950 277 ... UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 69 ANNEX TABLE 2 Refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees (refugees and IDPs), stateless persons, and others of concern to UNHCR by origin end-2016 (ctnd) All data are provisional and subject to change. REFUGEES Origin1 Refugees2 United Kingdom United Rep. of Tanzania United States of America18 Uruguay US Virgin Islands Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) Viet Nam19 Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara20 Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Stateless Various/unknown Total Total refugees and People in people in refugee-like refugee-like situations3 situations Asylumseekers (pending cases) 4 of whom: UNHCRassisted Returned refugees 5 IDPs protected/ assisted by UNHCR, Persons incl. under people in UNHCR’s Others of Total IDP-like Returned statelessness concern to population 6 7 8 9 situations IDPs mandate UNHCR of concern 81 - 81 - 109 - - - - - 190 594 - 594 28 1,233 6 - - - 14 1,847 309 1 310 6 288 - - - - 8 606 27 3,836 2 - 27 3,836 2 254 - 108 3,013 - 3 - - - - 2 - 135 6,854 2 7,537 - 7,537 381 45,088 - - - - 1 52,626 329,350 1 329,351 331 4,550 - - - - 68 333,969 - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 90,649 18,452 265 18,156 48,683 136,942 16,533,413 26,000 1,844 654,075 116,649 18,452 265 18,156 48,683 138,786 17,187,488 90,072 14,773 5 774 1,091 2,930 12,903,863 1,999 15,858 310 43,202 10,728 228,434 2,826,508 6 1 6 552,230 2,025,060 36,627,127 974,058 6,511,144 3,242,207 3,242,207 9 1 162 40,875 803,134 118,654 3,033,438 576 61,526 3,301,618 408,095 67,749,838 1,746,927 208 1,747,135 1,522,810 146,345 58,000 3,000,098 637,813 - 200,694 5,790,085 3,640,080 32,399 3,672,479 3,077,131 268,262 73,383 5,766,377 752,261 - 197,927 10,730,689 30,629 498,857 5,916,493 3,636,960 26,754 59,361 313,069 30,629 525,611 5,975,854 3,950,029 2,661 403,827 5,006,429 2,676,244 60,323 184,047 658,977 769,791 5,776 29,318 166,477 385,100 15,128 2,377,353 11,158,956 2,748,671 725,892 2,115,966 973,787 - 20,176 16,333 435,130 195,763 132,032 3,858,554 20,511,360 9,023,141 6,097,683 57,973 6,155,656 5,148,975 543,201 170 12,129,833 3,420,914 - 496,298 200,354 185,625 16,533,413 1,005 220,823 1,844 654,075 497,303 421,177 187,469 17,187,488 35,972 32,222 4,021 12,903,863 187,631 321,700 239,162 2,826,508 279 204 552,230 3,004,851 7,584,816 36,627,127 477 6,511,144 3,242,207 3,242,207 67,032 37,546 40,875 803,134 3,757,573 8,365,443 3,709,713 67,749,838 6,079,728 9,654,635 411,710 85,361 345,615 432 6,165,089 10,000,250 412,142 5,126,829 7,723,050 17,740 704,349 1,321,356 132,908 166,488 385,259 279 11,333,466 2,565,806 15,590,888 3,944,861 2,117,957 477 - 435,274 222,464 66,974 21,370,472 31,465,078 2,730,737 199,961 220,822 420,783 32,214 321,343 204 7,584,816 - - 37,538 8,364,684 393 1,361 185,625 16,533,413 1 1,844 654,075 394 1,361 187,469 17,187,488 8 1 4,021 12,903,863 357 987 239,162 2,826,508 552,230 36.627.127 6,511.144 3,242,207 3,242,207 8 1 40,875 803,134 759 2,349 3,709,713 67,749,838 UNHCR-Bureaux - Central AfricaGreat Lakes - East and Horn of Africa - Southern Africa - Western Africa Total Africa Asia and Pacific Middle East and North Africa Europe Americas Various/Stateless Total 26,788 22,276,562 UN major regions Africa Asia Europe Latin America and the Caribbean Northern America Oceania Various/Stateless Total 70 UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 ANNEX TABLE 2 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. All data are provisional and subject to change. 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. Where cases have been reported with an average number of persons, the number of cases reported has been multiplied by this average and used to calculate the total number of asylumseekers. For reporting by country of origin, a mix of persons and cases was used as reported by the country of asylum because it is not known how this average multiplication factor is distributed by country of origin. 5 Refugees who have returned to their place of origin during 2016. 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 2016. 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 was a Government estimate. UNHCR has registered and is assisting 16,900 Iraqis at the end of 2016. The refugee population in Jordan includes 33,100 Iraqis registered with UNHCR. The Government of Jordan estimated the number of Iraqis at 400,000 individuals at the end of March 2015. This includes refugees and other categories of Iraqis. 13 The refugee population in Bangladesh includes 243,000 persons in refugeelike situation from Myanmar. IDP figure in Myanmar includes 150,000 persons in an IDP-like situation. 14 Refers to Palestinian refugees under the UNHCR mandate only. 15 An unknown number of refugees and asylum-seekers from South Sudan may be included under Sudan (in absence of separate statistics for both countries). 16 Figures for refugees and asylum-seekers may include citizens of South Sudan (in absence of separate statistics for both countries). 17 IDP figure in Ukraine includes 800,000 people who are in an IDP-like situation. 18 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. 19 The 300,000 Vietnamese refugees are well integrated and in practice receive protection from the Government of China. 20 According to the Government of Algeria, there are an estimated 165,000 Sahrawi refugees in the Tindouf camps. Source: UNHCR/Governments. 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. See Annex Table 7 at http://www. unhcr.org/statistics/16-WRD-table-7.xls for detailed notes. 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. UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016 71 GLOBAL TRENDS FORCED DISPLACEMENT IN 2016 PRODUCED AND PRINTED BY UNHCR (19 JUNE 2017) FRONT COVER: NEWLY ARRIVED REFUGEE CHILDREN FROM SOUTH SUDAN AT NYUMANZI RECEPTION CENTRE, UGANDA. © U N HCR / ISA AC K A SA M A N I © 2017 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 stats@unhcr.org This document along with further information on global displacement is available on UNHCR’s statistics website: www.unhcr.org/statistics