Disasters displace 26.4 million people from their homes in 2023: UN

New Delhi: The number of people living in internal displacement soared to a record 75.9 million last year, mainly due to natural disasters a new UN-backed report said on Tuesday.

The report released by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), 2023-24 also saw nearly 47 million new internal displacements and highlighted the urgent need for protection and prevention efforts.

“As the planet grapples with conflicts and disasters, the staggering numbers of 47 million new internal displacements tells a harrowing tale,” said IOM Deputy Director General Ugochi Daniels.

“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,” she added.

The report cited that the natural disasters also continued to drive millions from their homes.

In 2023, disasters such as Cyclone Freddy in southeast Africa, earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria and Cyclone Mocha in the Indian Ocean led to 26.4 million displacements, making up 56 per cent of the total new internal displacements.

Notably, there was an increase in disaster-induced displacements in high-income countries, highlighted by Canada’s unprecedented wildfire season, which caused 185,000 internal displacements.

The report mentioned that conflict and violence as primarily responsible for displacement, uprooting some 20.5 million people in 2023.

“Nearly 30 per cent of these occurred in Sudan, while the Gaza Strip accounted for 17 per cent or 3.4 million within the last three months of the year,” it said.