Key figures: Number of refugees, displaced people hits record high worldwide

There were 108.4 million displaced people and refugees in the world at the end of 2022 as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or disruptions to public order, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This is a 23% increase since the end of 2021. The upward trend is likely to continue due to the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Sudan.

Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, some 8 million people have left Ukraine to live in EU countries. Most are women and children. This is a fraction of the 20 million refugees who have left Ukraine in total.

Cyprus is one of Europe’s major points of entry for refugees. Of the Mediterranean island's population of 915,000 people, 6% are asylum seekers, according to local authorities. Compared with its population size, Cyprus received the highest rate of first-time applications for asylum of any EU country followed by Croatia, according to Eurostat figures from 2022. 

France gave positive responses to 38,789 appeals for asylum in 2022, according to the interior ministry and the office for refugee protection – a 28% rate of approval overall. A positive response gives an applicant refugee status or subsidiary protection for those facing the risk of persecution in their country of origin due to their race, religion or political opinions.

Syrians account for one out of five of all migrants in Europe, with more than 6.6 million refugees living in more than 130 countries. Syria has seen the greatest proportion of its national population become refugees of any country, including Ukraine, South Sudan and Venezuela, according to the UNHCR.

The vast majority of global refugees are hosted by low and middle income countries – some 76%, according to the UNHCR – with the largest refugee populations in Turkey, Iran and Colombia. Around 70% of refugees live in countries that neighbour their country of origin.