Perhaps you’ve heard that we are in the midst of a global refugee crisis and that forced displacement is a defining issue of the 21st Century? Let’s take a quick look at the past 10 years to get some perspective.

We are specifically referring to people who have been forced to flee their homes because of war, persecution, and gross violations of human rights. The following statistics do not include people displaced by natural disasters or those fleeing poverty.

Those who are forced to flee their homes, but not their country, are called Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). Refugees and asylum seekers have been forced to flee both their home and homeland.

IDP numbers increased by 59% since 2010.

As most people flee their country only as a last resort, IDP make up the largest number of forcibly displaced people. In the past ten years, the number of IDP worldwide has increased by 59% to a total of 45.7 million women, children, and men.

Refugee numbers increased by 58% since 2010.

During the same time period, the global refugee population increased from 15.2 million to 26 million – a 58% increase.

Asylum Seeker numbers increased 4x since 2010.

The spike in asylum seekers worldwide is even more pronounced. There were 983,000 at the beginning of 2010 and 4.2 million at the beginning of 2020 – a 4 times increase over 10 years!

Meanwhile, rich nations fail to offer meaningful assistance.

To make matters worse, as the number of forcibly displaced people skyrockets, rich nations in the world are failing to increase the number of people they are willing to assist through refugee resettlement. This matters because 85% of the world’s refugees are hosted by developing countries.

Refugee resettlement is a tangible way rich nations can help share the burden with these countries. But globally, the number of resettled refugees is nearly the same at the beginning of 2020 as it was in 2010.The USA dramatically decreased its resettlement numbers over the same period of time (yellow line).

So where is hope to be found?

In spite of these depressing realities, there is still reason to hope for better days.

First and foremost, the Bible reveals that God is deeply concerned for the well-being of refugees – and that he is active and engaged in their lives.

Secondly, we have found that refugees are more than people in need. They are not helpless. They are an important part of the solution to the challenges they face.

Thirdly, there are signs that God is stirring up a global movement among his people to welcome and serve refugees and asylum seekers.

IAFR counts it a privilege to be a part of this movement of God as we mobilize missionaries and provide training for churches and other agencies to help them show up in meaningful ways in the lives of our forcibly displaced friends.

While the global crisis is real, we refuse to lose heart. For the kingdom of God is unstoppable.

CLICK HERE to visit the IAFR Online Toolbox and learn more about forced displacement in our world today. Get informed so you can inform others!

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Statistics compiled from UNHCR's Global Trends (2009 - 2019) by T.Albinson/IAFR.