An unprecedented 75.9 million individuals were living in internal displacement at the end of 2023, according to a newly released Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) report, as stated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on May 14.

The report, highlighting the urgency to protect internally displaced people and prevent future displacements, noted that nearly 47 million new internal displacements were registered in the same year.

"As the planet grapples with conflicts and disasters, the staggering number of 47 million new internal displacements tells a harrowing tale," IOM deputy director general, Ugochi Daniels, was quoted as saying in the statement.

"This report is a stark reminder of the urgent and coordinated need to expand disaster risk reduction, support peacebuilding, ensure the protection of human rights and whenever possible, prevent the displacement before it happens."

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Conflict triggered 20.5 million displacements

The Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) shows that conflict and violence triggered 20.5 million displacements. Of these, Sudan accounted for almost 30 percent, while the Gaza Strip accounted for 17 percent -- 3.4 million -- in the last three months of the year.

Disasters continue to displace millions of people every year, the report noted. In 2023, disasters such as cyclone Freddy in south-eastern Africa, earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and cyclone Mocha in the Indian Ocean led to 26.4 million movements, accounting for 56 percent of total new internal displacements.

A rise in disaster-induced displacements was also reported in high-income nations such as Canada, where an unprecedented wildfire season led to 185,000 internal displacements.

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The number of people displaced is expected to rise

The report noted that over the next years, the number of people displaced by disasters is expected to rise as the frequency, duration, and intensity of natural hazards worsen in the context of climate change with tragedies occurring in the last weeks in Brazil and Kenya.

Despite these daunting challenges, knowledge gaps remain, and the international community needs better data to understand, prevent, manage and address internal displacement in conflict and disaster contexts, the statement noted.

IOM concluded by saying that the report is an invaluable tool for humanitarian and development partners, governments, and a range of diverse stakeholder groups as they work to resolve existent displacements and prepare for future displacements.

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