Countries With Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) In The World

Countries With Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) In The World (Nov 2010)
Country Continent Local
Govt.
figures [1]
United
Nations
figures [1]
Other
figures [1]
Number of IDPs [1] iDMC Comments
Afghanistan Asia At least 240,000 At least 240,000 At least 240,000
Algeria Africa 1,000,000 (EU, 2002) Undetermined No recent figure available
Angola Africa 19,566 (UNTCU, Nov. 2005) Undetermined The figure refers to the number of IDPs in the Cabinda region. No recent figure is available
Armenia Asia / Europe 8,399 (NRC, 2005) 8,400 No more recent figure available
Azerbaijan Asia / Europe 586,013 (December 2009) 586,000 Includes only those displaced from Nagorno Karabakh and the 7 occupied territories.
Bangladesh Asia 500,000 (2000) 60,000 (Amnesty International, 2000) 60,000 -500,000
Bosnia & Herzegovina Europe 113,642 (December 2009) 113,600 (June 2010) 113,600
Burma Asia At least 446,000 (Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), Oct. 2010) At least 446,000 Estimate relates to the rural areas of eastern Myanmar and does not include IDPs in the rest of the country
Burundi Africa 100,000 (OCHA, November 2006) 100,000
Central African Republic Africa 162,284 (OCHA, November 2009) 162,284
Chad Africa 168,467 (OCHA, 4 June 2010) 170,000
Colombia South America 3,303,979 (31 December 2009) 4,915,579 (CODHES, January 2010) 3,303,979 -4,915,579 CODHES figure cumulative since 1985. The government figure is cumulative since 2000 and does not include intra-urban displacement and people displaced by crop fumigations.
Croatia Europe 2,285 (December 2009) 2,402 (UNHCR, June 2009) 2,285 (January 2010)
Cyprus, Republic of + Northern Cyprus Asia / Europe 200,457 (Republic of Cyprus, March 2009) 210,000 (May 2003, UNFICYP) 0 (“Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” October 2007) Up to 200,500 Over 200,000 Greek and Turkish Cypriots were displaced in 1974.
DR Congo Africa 1.71 million (OCHA, 15 November 2010) 1.71 million Fighting between militia and Congolese armed forces supported by the UN, as well as direct attacks and violence against the population, caused the displacement of some one million people in eastern DRC during 2009. Close to one million people are estimated to have returned home in 2009 and in 2010, but ongoing military operations against rebel groups and reprisal attacks against the population, particularly in North and South Kivu, increased displacement. 1.71 million people were estimated to be internally displaced as of the end of October 2010.
East Timor Asia / Oceania 50 households (UNMIT, March 2010) At least 250 IDPs (March 2010)
Eritrea Africa Government claim all returned or resettled No UN inter-agency assessment since 2006 10,000 It is has not been possible to get precise number of IDPs on Eritrea in 2008, despite claims by sources that there exists IDPs who are living in host communities. According to a UN source, there has not been a UN inter-agency assessment since 2006. The Government of Eritrea claim that all IDPs have either returned to home areas or resettled.
Ethiopia Africa Not known 200,000 – 300,000 (UN agencies, June 2008) 300,000 – 350,000
Georgia Asia / Europe From 1990s: 233,453 (2009) From 2008: 15,912 (2009) From 1990s: 233,453 (2010) From 2008 (status pending): 3,472 (2010) In South Ossetia: 10,000 (2010) 247,000 -249,000 (January 2010) Some IDPs displaced in 2008 have not yet been registered. According to national law, returned and relocated IDPs retain their IDP status.
Guatemala North America Undetermined (National Reparation Programme, October 2007) 242,000 (UNFPA, May 1997) Undetermined At the end of 2007 the government had not agreed on criteria to include IDPs in a national reparation programme and it is unclear how many people can still be considered as displaced, if any.
India Asia At least 650,000 (IDMC, September 2010) At least 650,000 Compiled from various figures available
Indonesia Asia / Oceania 70,000-120,000 (IDMC, March 2009) 70,000 -120,000
Iraq Asia 2,764,111 (UNHCR, November 2009) 2,764,111 The figure is cumulative and based on a UN Habitat survey published in 2001. Of this figure, more than 1,500,000 people were displaced by rise in intercommunal violence since February 2006, according to the UN, NGOs and government (as of March 2008)
Israel Asia 150,000 (Cohen, July 2001); 420,000 (BADIL, May 2006) Undetermined The higher figure includes displaced Bedouin, and was calculated on the basis of an estimated average annual growth rate of 4.2% in 1950-2001, and 3% for the later years.
Ivory Coast Africa Approx 40,000 in western Côte d’Ivoire (UN, September 2009) Undetermined There are no comprehensive statistics on return movements and therefore no clear number of people still internally displaced in Cote d’Ivoire. The only statistics available concern the populations displaced in the West but no data is available on the some 300,000 to 440,000 who had been displaced into Abidjan.
Kenya Africa 43,777 (Daily Nation, 03 June 2008) 350,000 (UNOCHA, June 2008) 77,880 [Kenya Red Cross Society] Undetermined This figure takes into account the Kenya Government return programme in which the Government claims that some 172,000 people during the post-election violence of December 2007 have returned home in May 2008. By its own admission, the Government confessed in early June 2008 that it has no acurate figures of IDPs. . However, it is assumed that most of IDPs are still to return and are either living in host communities or in the so called ‘transit camps’ that the government set up closer to where people were displaced from.
Kosovo Europe 19,700
Laos Asia Undetermined
Lebanon Asia 27,000 Palestinians refugees secondary displaced (June 2008); 40,000 Lebanese displaced since July 2006 (December 2007); 16,750 prior to July 2006 (as of July 2006) 70,000 since July 2006 (UNHCR, December 2007) in addition 27,000 newly displaced Palestinians (UNRWA, September 2007) 50,000 – 600,000 prior to July 2006 (USCR, 2004; USDOS, 2006) 90,000 -390,000 Fighting between Lebanese forces and Fatah al Islam in May-August 2007 caused displacement of 27,000 Palestinian refugees living in Nahr el-Bared camp. In addition, as of end 2007, 40,000-70,000 Lebanese were still displaced by the July-August 2006 conflict. Prior to July 2006, it was estimated that some 50,000 to 600,000 Lebanese were displaced as a result of the 1975-1990 civil war and Israeli invasions.
Liberia Africa Undetermined (UNHCR, 24 July 2007) Undetermined Approximately 23,000 individuals are believed to remain in former IDP camps. Of these some 16,000 received a return package but either did not use it or went back to the camps while some 7,000 claim to have been wrongly denied assistance. According to the government all IDPs have achieved durable solutions.
Macedonia Europe 644 (December 2009) 644
Mexico North America 10,000 (ICRC, June 2003); 12,000 (Center for Human Rights Fray Bartolomé de la Casas, June 2003) 5,000 -8,000
Nepal Asia OCHA, July 2009 50,000 -70,000
Niger Africa 11,000 (IRIN, 10 December 2007) Around 6500 IDPs This figure is based on the estimated return of approx 4,500 IDPs to the town of Iferouane.
Nigeria Africa 1,210,000 (National Commission for Refugees, September 2007) Undetermined No reliable statistics exist on IDPs in Nigeria nor a general agreement on their actual numbers in the absence of any comprehensive survey. Last UN estimate was 200,000 in Nov. 2004, but also based on guesswork. NCR figure does not clearly differentiate between people still displaced and those who have returned. During periodic outbreaks of violence most IDPs stay with host families; no camps currently exist.
Palestine Asia 24,547 (OCHA, Oct. 2004) 129,000 (NGO BADIL, September 2009) At least 160,000 Palestinian NGO, BADIL, estimates that 129,000 have been displaced since 1967 excluding Gaza offensive (BADIL, September 2009). UN estimates that more than 20,000 remain displaced over 9 months since the Gaza offensive in December-January 2009 (OCHA, November 2009). There has been no comprehensive registration of IDPs in OPT to date.
Pakistan Asia 1,400,000 (PDMA/ PaRRSA, July 2010) 1,400,000 (UNHCR, July 2010) More than 1,550,000 Conflict-induced displacement has taken place since 2004 in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Balochistan since 2004. Since 2007, the displacement crisis has intensified. Flooding during July-August 2010 compounds the difficult situation.
Peru South America 150,000 (Ministry of Women and Social Development, May 2007) 150,000
Philippines Asia 69,335 – 83,202 (DSWD, 24 Sept. 2010) 103,000 – 124,000 (IOM, 3 September 2010) 102,000 -123,000 (4 Nov. 2010) As of 23 July, IOM reported that a total of 18,874 families were living in displacement either in evacuation centers (14,825), in relocation sites (3,174) or as home-based IDPs (875) all of them in Maguindanao province. Government figures are based on an average of five individuals per family, but the average family size in the poorer municipalities of Muslim Mindanao, where most IDPs are located, has been shown to be closer to six. Based on a total of 18,874 families, it is therefore estimated that the number of IDPs ranges from (18,874×5) 94,370 to (18,874×6) 113,244.
Republic of Congo Africa 7,800 7,800 (OCHA, November 2006) Up to 7,800
Russia Asia / Europe 18,402 (Government, 2009) 79,950 (UNHCR, 2009) 80,000 The government figure includes IDPs from Chechnya and North Ossetia with forced migrant status in and outsdie the North Caucasus, as well as IDPs in North Ossetia registered by the government. The UNHCR figure includes IDPs in the North Caucasus. Figures do not always include those living in the private sector.
Rwanda Africa Undetermined
Senegal Africa 10,000 (US DoS, March 2010) 24,000 (OCHA/ UNICEF, February 2010) 40,000 (ICRC, March 2010) 10,000 -40,000 Compiled from various figures available.
Serbia Europe 210,000 (Government of Serbia, July 2009) 205,211 (UNHCR, December 2009) 225,200 (Serbia) 19,700 (Kosovo) Estimate includes some 205,000 registered IDPs in Serbia plus an estimated 20,000 unregistered Roma displaced in Serbia and 20,000 IDPs in Kosovo.
Somalia Africa 1,500,000 (UNHCR/ UNOCHA, January 2010) 1.6 million (estimate)
Sri Lanka Asia 26,644 IDPs in temporary camps; 71,200 with host families in districts of origin; about 1,800 in transit camps in districts of origin (UN RC/HC, 8 October 2010); 197,925 IDPs from before 2006 (UN, August 2009) 6,000 IDPs in east due to HSZ (CPA, September 2009) Almost 300,000 (October 2010)
Sudan Africa GoS (9 April 2010): 623,667 IDPs in Greater Khartoum and 1.5 million locally integrated IDPs (of whom 59 per cent or around 920,000 people from areas covered by CPA and the Three Areas; the rest include economic migrants and people from other parts of Sudan). 4.1 million (UNHCR, January 2010) At least 4.9 million (IDMC, January 2010) At least 4.9 million The figure of 4.9 million IDPs for all of Sudan includes at least 2.7 million IDPs in Darfur, 1.7 million IDPs in the Greater Khartoum area, 450,000 IDPs in Southern Sudan, 60,000 IDPs in Southern Kordofan, and 20,000 IDPs in Abyei. No figures are available for the Eastern States and Blue Nile.
Syria Asia 433,000 in Syria (September 2007) 433,000 The situation of Syrians displaced from the Golan Heights forty years ago is still not resolved. The Syrian Government estimates that 433,000 people remain displaced today which includes descendents of those displaced in 1967. It is estimated that 18,000 to 23,000 Syrians remain under occupation in the Golan Heights of which several hundred families may be identified as displaced within the occupied territory.
Togo Africa 1,500 (OCHA, Nov. 2006) Undetermined
Turkey Asia / Europe 953,680 – 1,201,200 (Hacettepe University, December 2006) Over 1 million (NGOs, Aug. 2005) 954,000 -1,201,000 Hacettepe University survey commissioned by the government
Turkmenistan Asia Undetermined No estimates available
Uganda Africa 295,000 (UNHCR, June 2010) At least 295,000 The UNHCR figure does not include IDPs in urban areas, or IDPs in Uganda’s Karamoja region. In addition, many of the hundreds of thousands of former IDPs who have now returned to their home areas are still in the process of finding a durable solution to their plight.
Uzbekistan Asia 3,400 (IOM, May 2005) 3,400 No recent figure available
Yemen Asia 342,000 (UN OCHA, July 2010) 342,000 UN agencies report an estimated 342,000 IDPs as of end of July 2010. In July 2009 prior to the 6th round of fighting an UN agencies estimated an operational figure of 100,000 IDPs.
Zimbabwe Africa 570,000 (victims of Operation Murambatsvina: UN, July 2005); 1 million (former farm workers and their families: UNDP, September 2008); 36,000 (people displaced by political violence in 2008). 880,000 – 960,000 (Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC), June 2007). This estimate is based on the fact that about 8% of the population surveyed by the ZimVAC stated that they had been “asked to move” in the past five years. 570,000 -1,000,000 The UN Special Envoy for Human Settlements Issues in Zimbabwe estimated in July 2005 that 570,000 people had been made homeless by Operation Murambatsvina. A UNDP report of September 2008 estimated that over 200,000 farm workers plus their families (an estimated total of one million people) had lost their homes and livelihoods as a result of the fast-track land reform programme. No comprehensive surveys of IDPs have been done in Zimbabwe, and estimating the total number of IDPs in the country is made more difficult by the fact that a significant number of IDPs in Zimbabwe have been displaced more than once. The estimates above do not include mine workers who were made homeless by Operation Chikorokoza Chapera in late 2006 – early 2007; and people who originally benefited from land distribution under the fast-track land reform programme but who have since been evicted again from the land on which they were resettlled. Note also that while the UN uses an estimate of 36,000 for the total number of people displaced by the 2008 political violence, the number was estimated by the MDC to be as high as 200,000.
World Total IDMC (December 2009) 27,100,000 Estimate based on the analysis of available country figures and additional information on displacement and return trends.