Record-high 28.8 million internally displaced people worldwide in 2012; 5-fold jump in Syria

28.8 million people were internally displaced worldwide in 2012, a record high figure that includes a five-fold increase in the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Syria. Over 6.5 million people were newly displaced inside their home countries in 2012, almost twice as many as the year before. Because these people have not crossed a border, they are not refugees and do not benefit from international protection.

‘‘Governments are responsible for finding long-term solutions for their displaced citizens.  However, these can only be realised when governments and the international community recognise that people forced from their homes require not only a humanitarian response at the height of a crisis, but sustained engagement until a lasting solution is achieved,’’ said Kate Halff, Director of IDMC.

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