Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
8
1. A GLOBAL PICTURE OF FORCED MIGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL
PROTECTION
1.1. Global Forced Migration Trends and Drivers
The scale of forced displacement worldwide is higher than anything that has been seen since
the end of the Second World War, and has tested the limits of the international protection
regime built around the 1951 Refugee Convention. As of the end of 2015, UNHCR estimates
that over 65 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes, of whom 21.3
million are outside their countries of origin.1 The largest share of the displaced have, however,
remained inside their own countries. Over 40 million people were internally displaced in
2015, up by 8 million from the year before.
Figure 1: Stocks of refugees (excluding Palestinians), asylum seekers, and internally
displaced persons (IDPs) assisted by UNHCR annually, 1951-2015
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR Population Database, accessed on August 26,
2016,
Notes: Since 2007, people in refugee-like situations are included in refugee estimates, and figures from 2007 are
thus not fully comparable with previous year. Since 2007, people in IDP-like situations are included in the IDP
estimates, and IDP figures since 2007 are thus not fully comparable with previous years. IDP numbers only
include those assisted by UNHCR. Palestinians under the mandate of UNRWA are not included.
1 Total annual displacement numbers provided by UNHCR include recognized refugees and those in refugee-like situations,
asylum seekers, Palestinians assisted by UNRWA, and IDPs. UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Global Trends:
Forced Displacement in 2015 (Geneva: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2016),
us/statistics/unhcrstats/576408cd7/unhcr-global-trends-2015.html.
0
10.000.000
20.000.000
30.000.000
40.000.000
50.000.000
60.000.000
1951195419571960196319661969197219751978198119841987199019931996199920022005200820112014
Refugees IDPs Asylum Seekers