| Field Listing - Refugees and internally displaced persons

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Country | Refugees and internally displaced persons
Afghanistan | IDPs: 200,000-300,000 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and west due to drought and instability) (2005)
Algeria | refugees (country of origin): 102,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf) IDPs: 400,000-600,000 (conflict between government forces, Islamic insurgents) (2005)
Angola | refugees (country of origin): 13,510 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 40,000-60,000 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs already have returned) (2005)
Armenia | refugees (country of origin): 235,101 (Azerbaijan) IDPs: 50,000 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005)
Azerbaijan | refugees (country of origin): 8,367 (Russia) IDPs: 528,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005)
Bangladesh | refugees (country of origin): 20,402 (Burma) IDPs: 61,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2005)
Bosnia and Herzegovina | refugees (country of origin): 19,213 (Croatia) IDPs: 309,200 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Muslims displaced in 1992-95 war) (2005)
Burma | IDPs: 550,000-1,000,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent groups near borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon) (2005)
Burundi | refugees (country of origin): 48,424 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 145,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2005)
Cameroon | refugees (country of origin): 39,290 (Chad) 16,686 (Nigeria) 9,634 (Cote d'Ivoire) (2005)
Central African Republic | refugees (country of origin): 19,470 (Sudan) 1,864 (Chad) 6,484 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 200,000 (unrest following coup in 2003) (2005)
Chad | refugees (country of origin): 224,924 (Sudan), 29,683 (Central African Republic) (2005)
China | refugees (country of origin): 299,287 (Vietnam) estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea) (2005)
Colombia | IDPs: 2,900,000 - 3,400,000 (conflict between government and FARC; drug wars) (2004)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | refugees (country of origin): 5,277 (Republic of Congo) 11,816 (Rwanda) 18,953 (Uganda) 19,400 (Burundi) 45,226 (Sudan) 98,383 (Angola) IDPs: 2.33 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2005)
Congo, Republic of the | refugees (country of origin): 53,834 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 60,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic Lari) (2005)
Costa Rica | refugees (country of origin): 8,266 (Colombia) (2005)
Cote d'Ivoire | refugees (country of origin): 70,402 (Liberia) IDPs: 500,000-800,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2005)
Croatia | IDPs: 12,600 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95 war) (2005)
Cyprus | IDPs: 265,000 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced for over 30 years) (2005)
Djibouti | refugees (country of origin): 17,331 (Somalia) (2005)
Ecuador | refugees (country of origin): 8,270 (Colombia) (2005)
Egypt | refugees (country of origin): 70,245 (Palestinian Territories) 14,904 (Sudan) (2005)
Eritrea | IDPs: 59,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most IDPs are near the central border region) (2005)
Ethiopia | refugees (country of origin): 90,451 (Sudan) 16,470 (Somalia) 8,719 (Eritrea) IDPs: 132,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000 and ethnic clashes in Gambela; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2005)
Gaza Strip | refugees (country of origin): 969,588 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2005)
Georgia | IDPs: 260,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2005)
Ghana | refugees (country of origin): 40,853 (Liberia) (2005)
Guatemala | IDPs: 250,000 (government's scorched-earth offensive in 1980s against indigenous people) 30,000 (Hurricane "Stan" October 2005) (2005)
Guinea | refugees (country of origin): 127,256 (Liberia) 7,165 (Sierra Leone) 7,064 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 82,000 (cross-border incursions from Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire) (2005)
India | refugees (country of origin): 92,394 (Tibet/China) 57,274 (Sri Lanka) 9,761 (Afghanistan) IDPs: 600,000 (resulting from 26 December 2004 tsunami); 500,000 (Jammu and Kashmir conflicts; most IDPs are Kashmiri Hindus) (2005)
Indonesia | IDPs: 570,000 (resulting from 26 December 2004 tsunami) 500,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Maluku, and Central Sulawesi Provinces); (2005)
Iran | refugees (country of origin): 952,802 (Afghanistan) 93,173 (Iraq) (2005)
Iraq | refugees (country of origin): 22,711 (Palestinian Territories) IDPs: 1 million (ongoing US-led war and Kurds' subsequent return) (2005)
Israel | IDPs: 276,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2005)
Jordan | refugees (country of origin): 1,795,326 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 168,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2005)
Kazakhstan | refugees (country of origin): 13,684 (Russia) (2005)
Kenya | refugees (country of origin): 153,627 (Somalia) 12,595 (Ethiopia) 67,556 (Sudan) IDPs: 360,000 (KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2005)
Korea, North | IDPs: 50,000-250,000 (government repression and famine) (2005)
Lebanon | refugees (country of origin): 401,071 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) IDPs: 300,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions) (2005)
Liberia | refugees (country of origin): 13,941 (Sierra Leone) 12,408 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 464,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2005)
Macedonia | IDPs: 2,678 (ethnic conflict in 2001) (2005)
Malaysia | refugees (country of origin): 15,181 (Indonesia) 9,601 (Burma) (2005)
Maldives | IDPs: 11,000 (December 2004 tsunami victims) (2005)
Mali | refugees (country of origin): 6,185 (Mauritania) (2005)
Mexico | IDPs: 12,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2005)
Moldova | IDPs: 1,000 (internal secessionist uprising in Transnistrian region in 1991) (2005)
Namibia | refugees (country of origin): 12,618 (Angola) (2005)
Nepal | refugees (country of origin): 104,915 (Bhutan) IDPs: 100,000-200,000 (ongoing conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels; displacement spread across the country) (2005)
Nigeria | IDPs: 200,000 - 250,000 (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999) (2005)
Pakistan | refugees (country of origin): 960,041 (Afghanistan) IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan); 3 million (October 2005 earthquake) (2005)
Peru | IDPs: 60,000 (civil war from 1980-2000; most IDPs are indigenous peasants in Andean and Amazonian regions) (2005)
Philippines | IDPs: 150,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu Sayyaf groups) (2005)
Russia | IDPs: 339,000 (displacement from Chechnya and North Ossetia) (2005)
Rwanda | refugees (country of origin): 45,460 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) IDPs: 4,158 (incursions by Hutu rebels from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997-99; most IDPs in northwest) (2005)
Saudi Arabia | refugees (country of origin): 240,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2005)
Senegal | refugees (country of origin): 19,778 (Mauritania) IDPs: 17,000 (clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2005)
Serbia and Montenegro | refugees (country of origin): 95,297 (Bosnia and Herzegovina) 180,117 (Croatia) IDPs: 225,000 - 251,000 (mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999) (2005)
Sierra Leone | refugees (country of origin): 65,433 (Liberia) (2005)
Somalia | IDPs: 400,000 (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources) 5,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005)
South Africa | refugees (country of origin): 5,774 (Angola) 9,516 (Democratic Republic of Congo) 7,118 (Somalia) (2005)
Sri Lanka | IDPs: 353,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to Tamil conflict); 450,000 (resulting from 2004 tsunami) (2005)
Sudan | refugees (country of origin): 110,927 (Eritrea) 5,023 (Chad) 7,983 (Uganda) 14,812 (Ethiopia) IDPs: 5,300,000 - 6,200,000 (internal conflict since 1980s; ongoing genocide) (2005)
Syria | refugees (country of origin): 426,919 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) 14,391 (Iraq) IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2005)
Tanzania | refugees (country of origin): 443,706 (Burundi) 153,474 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 3,036 (Somalia) (2005)
Thailand | refugees (country of origin): 120,814 (Burma) IDPs: 6,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005)
Turkey | IDPs: 350,000-1,000,000 (fighting from 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2005)
Turkmenistan | refugees (country of origin): 12,085 (Tajikistan) (2005)
Uganda | refugees (country of origin): 214,673 (Sudan) 18,902 (Rwanda) 14,982 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 1,330,000-2,000,000 note - ongoing Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion, mainly in the north; LRA frequently attacks IDP camps (2005)
United States | refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 52,868 refugees during FY03/04 including: 13,331 (Somalia), 6,000 (Laos), 3,482 (Ukraine), 2,959 (Cuba), 1,787 (Iran); note - 32,229 refugees had been admitted as of 30 June 2005
Uzbekistan | refugees (country of origin): 39,202 (Tajikistan) 5,238 (Afghanistan) IDPs: 3,000 (forced population transfers by government from villages near Tajikistan border) (2005)
West Bank | refugees (country of origin): 690,988 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2005)
World | the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that in December 2004 there was a global population of 9.2 million refugees, the lowest number in 25 years, and as many as 25 million IDPs in over 49 countries (2005)
Yemen | refugees (country of origin): 63,511 (Somalia) (2005)
Zambia | refugees (country of origin): 88,842 (Angola) 66,248 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) 5,791 (Rwanda) (2005)
Zimbabwe | IDPs: 400,000-450,000 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2005)

This page was last updated on 29 March, 2006