List of largest refugee crises

Last updated

This is a list of largest refugee crises .

List

The list below includes the number of refugees per event with at least 1 million individuals included. This list does not include internally displaced persons (IDP). For events for which estimates vary, the geometric mean of the lowest and highest estimates is calculated to rank the events.

Contents

Rows highlighted in blue indicate a present event that is occurring.

EventRefugees estimateOriginFromUntilDurationRef.
World War II 60.0 million Europe 193919456 years [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Partition of India 10.0–20.0 million Indian subcontinent 194719481 year [7] [8]
World War I 7.0–15.0 million Europe 191419184 years [9] [10] [11]
Russian Invasion of Ukraine 9.2 million [note 1] Ukraine and Russia 2022Present2 years, 7 months [12] [13] [14] [15]
Bangladesh Liberation War 9.0 million Indian subcontinent 197119718 months [16]
Crisis in Venezuela 8.9 million Venezuela 2014Present10 years [17]
Syrian Civil War 6.7 million Syria 2011Present13 years [18]
Soviet–Afghan War 6.2 million Afghanistan 1978198911 years [19]
Israeli–Palestinian Conflict 700,000 Palestinians est. (5.6 million including descendants)
900,000 Jews est.
Palestine (region) 1947Present77 years [20] [21]
Yemeni Civil War 4.5 million Yemen 2015Present9 years [22]
Vietnam War 3.0 million Mainland Southeast Asia 1975200025 years [23]
War in Afghanistan 2.6–2.7 million Afghanistan 2001202120 years [24] [25]
Yugoslav Wars 2.4 million Yugoslavia 1991200110 years [26]
Korean War 1.0–5.0 million Korea 195019533 years [27] [28]
Iraq War 2.2 million Iraq 200320129 years [29]
War in Sudan 2.1 million Sudan 2023Present1 year, 6 months [30]
Rwandan Genocide 2.1 million Rwanda 199419962 years [31]
Iraqi Uprisings 1.8 million Iraq 199119918 months [23]
Mozambican Civil War 1.7 million Mozambique 1977199215 years [23]
South Sudanese Civil War 1.5 million South Sudan 201120209 years [32]
Rohingya Genocide 1.3 million Myanmar 2016Present8 years [33]
Algerian War 1.0 million Algeria 195419628 years [23]
Irish Great Famine 1.0 million Ireland 184518494 years [34]
First Libyan Civil War 1.0 million Libya 201120118 months [35]
Somali Civil War 1.0 million Somalia 1991Present33 years [36]

Notes

  1. Includes 8.2 million Ukrainian refugees recorded in Europe (including countries partially in Europe); 0.2 million people fleeing Russia after the invasion but before the announcement of mobilization; 0.8 million people fleeing Russia after the beginning of Russian mobilization in September 2022. See also Russian emigration during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

See also

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