The increase was primarily caused by the conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the war in the Gaza Strip. Almost half of the internally displaced people lived in sub-Saharan African countries in 2023.
According to the report, the number of internally displaced people worldwide increased by 50 percent in five years. At the end of 2022, the number was 71.1 million.
According to IDMC, the main causes of flight within one’s own country last year were violence and conflict, which displaced around 68.3 million people. Around 7.7 million people are affected by disasters, including severe storms and earthquakes in China and Turkey.
The head of the NGO, Alexandra Bilak, spoke of an “alarming” development. “Conflict and the devastation it leaves behind often prevents millions of people from rebuilding their lives for years,” Bilak said.
The IDMC was founded in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council. “We have never recorded so many people forced to leave their homes and communities,” said the head of the refugee council, Jan Egeland. This is evidence of the failure of “conflict prevention and peace-building.” The suffering of internally displaced people is often overlooked. “The lack of protection and support that millions of people suffer must not continue,” emphasized Egeland.
