The sobering reality of the global internal displacement crisis has been laid bare in a newly released report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), an unprecedented 75.9 million individuals were living in internal displacement at the end of 2023, marking a new record high that underscores the urgent need for collective action.
The IDMC’s Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) highlights the multifaceted challenges driving this escalating crisis, including conflicts, natural disasters, and the worsening impacts of climate change. Nearly 47 million new internal displacements were recorded in 2023 alone, a staggering figure that demands immediate attention and coordinated efforts from the international community.
“As the planet grapples with conflicts and disasters, the staggering number of 47 million new internal displacements tells a harrowing tale,” said Ugochi Daniels, IOM deputy director general. “This report is a stark reminder of the urgent and coordinated need to expand disaster risk reduction, support peacebuilding, ensure the protection of human rights and whenever possible, prevent the displacement before it happens.”
Conflict and violence remain major drivers of internal displacement, with the report revealing that these factors triggered 20.5 million displacements in 2023. Sudan accounted for nearly 30 percent of these displacements, while the Gaza Strip witnessed a staggering 3.4 million displacements in the last three months of the year, accounting for 17 percent of the total.
Disasters, exacerbated by the escalating impacts of climate change, continue to displace millions of people every year. In 2023, catastrophic events such as Cyclone Freddy in southeastern Africa, the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and Cyclone Mocha in the Indian Ocean led to a staggering 26.4 million internal displacements, accounting for 56 percent of the total new displacements worldwide.
Even high-income nations were not spared, with Canada experiencing an unprecedented wildfire season that led to 185,000 internal displacements, a stark reminder that no country is immune to the consequences of climate change and environmental degradation.
The report’s findings paint a grim picture for the future, as the number of people displaced by disasters is expected to rise in the coming years. The increasing frequency, duration, and intensity of natural hazards, compounded by the escalating effects of climate change, foreshadow more tragedies to come, as evidenced by the recent disasters in Brazil and Kenya.
Despite these daunting challenges, knowledge gaps remain, and the international community needs better data to understand, prevent, manage, and address internal displacement in both conflict and disaster contexts. Addressing this crisis requires a multifaceted approach that combines disaster risk reduction, peacebuilding efforts, and the protection of human rights while striving to prevent displacement before it occurs.
The IDMC report serves as an invaluable tool for humanitarian and development partners, governments, and a diverse range of stakeholder groups as they work to resolve existing displacements and prepare for future challenges. By shedding light on the staggering scale of the internal displacement crisis, the report underscores the urgency of collective action to address this pressing global issue and safeguard the rights and well-being of those affected.