71.1 Million People Internally Displaced, Says Global Report

According to a report released by the Norwegian Refugee Council's Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre on Thursday, 71.1 million people were internally displaced worldwide by conflict or natural disasters by the end of 2022, a 20% increase since 2021.

Of this number, 62 million people were displaced due to conflict and violence, with 5.9 million people forced to move inside Ukraine because of Russia's invasion.

Syria had 6.8 million displaced by conflict after more than a decade of civil war.

In addition, 8.7 million people were displaced within their country due to natural disasters such as floods and famine, up by 45% from 2021.

The La Nina weather phenomenon, which continued for a third consecutive year in 2022, contributed to record levels of flood displacement in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Brazil, and to the worst drought on record in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

The ongoing conflict in Sudan between the army and a rival paramilitary group has already led to 700,000 people being internally displaced in a matter of weeks in 2023, according to the United Nations migration agency.

In 2022, the number of people displaced due to conflict rose by 17%, with Ukraine and Syria having the highest number of internally displaced people due to conflict.

Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, described 2022 as a "perfect storm" of conflict and natural disasters, leading to displacement on an unprecedented scale.