Refugee populations: Fact file
According to the UNHCR, the total number of refugees worldwide reached 8.4 million by the end of 2005, the lowest level since 1980.
Refugee numbers have decreased by 12% in 2005, the fifth consecutive year in which the global refugee population has dropped.
In an editorial released for World Refugee Day, Antonio Guterres, the UNHCR chief, said that while global refugee figures had dropped 31% since 2001, returnees often face a bleak future. He urged greater focus on ensuring countries moved forwards after conflict.
“The international community owes returning refugees more than just a cooking pot and a handshake when they cross the border,” he said.
“We must continue to nurture their return and reintegration and to support the communities to which they are returning.”
Here is a list of major refugee populations at the end of 2005 ahead of World Refugee Day on Tuesday:
Country of Origin Asylum Population
Afghanistan Pakistan/Iran 2,414,695
Sudan Chad/Uganda 730,914
Burundi Tanzania/Democratic 485,506
Republic of Congo
Democratic Tanzania/Zambia 461,248
Republic of Congo
Somalia Kenya/Yemen 390,026
Palestinian Saudi Arabia/Egypt 349,828
Territories*
Vietnam China/Germany 348,446
Liberia Guinea/Ivory Coast 336,115
Iraq Iran/Germany 312,480
Azerbaijan Armenia/Germany 250,911
* Does not include about four million Palestinian refugees living in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Source: The UN Refugee Agency (www.unhcr.org)