In the past decade, the refugee crisis claimed headlines on a daily basis. Millions of people have fled their homes to find safety and a future. Situations like the Syrian civil conflict and the persecution of the Rohingya and their exodus to Bangladesh are just two examples.

When we look at the countries and people who have suffered the worst refugee crisis, we see a very sad pattern, that majority of these countries and people are Muslim.

Syria
Number of refugees: 5.5 million Number of internally displaced people: 6 million
Since 2011, Syria has been engulfed in a civil war that has left the country in shambles. According to the UN Refugee Agency, to date, more than 12 million people have been displaced. Approximately 13.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. As of October 2020, there were about 2.6 million Syrian children living as refugees and about 2.5 million children living as internally displaced people.

living in more than 125 countries, but most are sheltering in neighbouring countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.

Venezuela
Number of refugees and migrants: 4.6 million Number of people in transit: 400,000
The Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis is one of the largest displacement crisis in the world. While other refugee crisis have been triggered by conflict and war, the Venezuelan situation is different. To date, about 4.6 million Venezuelans have left the country as a result of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis fomented by years of economic hardship and political instability.

Afghanistan
Number of refugees: 2.7 million Number of internally displaced people: 2.5 million
Afghanistan has endured a two-decade conflict, economic hardship and climate-related challenges. As a result, more than 2.7 million people have fled the country, with most going to Iran, Pakistan and countries in Europe. The situation in Afghanistan is so dire that in 2020 it was ranked the least peaceful country in the world by the Global Peace Index.

South Sudan
Number of refugees: 2.3 million Number of internally displaced people: 1.87 million
Established in 2011, South Sudan is the world’s newest country. However, in 2013, conflict broke out, sending the country into a downward spiral of violence, economic crisis, hunger and disease. As a result, millions of South Sudanese have fled their homes, creating the largest refugee crisis in Africa.

Myanmar (Rohingya)
Number of refugees: 1 million
The Rohingya people are an ethnic minority group in Myanmar. Since the early 1990s, they have faced discrimination and violence, forcing many to flee the country. Myanmar’s government considers them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Most recently, in August 2017, more than 720,000 Rohingya refugees fled escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The vast majority settled in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
In 2018, even though an agreement was reached for the Rohingya to return home, none did. The refugees don’t want to go back until they have the guarantee of safety and citizenship.

Somalia
Number of refugees: 750,000 Number of internally displaced people: 2.6 million
The refugee crisis in Somalia dates back 30 years. Political instability and the civil war that started in the 1990s have driven hundreds of thousands of Somalis from their homes. Extreme weather conditions, such as drought in the north and abnormally high rainfall in the south and central regions, have also significantly impacted the ability of Somalis to secure their livelihoods.

Iraq
Number of refugees: 260,000 Number of internally displaced people: 1.3 million
The Iraq war started in 2003, but the displacement crisis didn’t emerge until 2014, when violence escalated in the northern part of the country. Attacks launched by ISIS gave rise to a conflict that forced millions of families to flee their homes and destroyed half of the country’s infrastructure.

Tigray, Ethiopia
Number of refugees: 60,000 Number of internally displaced people: 2 million
In November 2020, armed conflict broke out in the northern region of Ethiopia known as Tigray. As the fighting continues, hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to flee their homes, becoming internally displaced – about 2 million. Others are fleeing to nearby Sudan – about 60,000 people. Tigray also hosts thousands of refugees from Eritrea.

Yemen
Number of refugees: 200,000 Number of internally displaced people: 3.6 million
Since conflict erupted in Yemen in 2015, 200,000 people have fled the country and 3.6 million have become internally displaced. More than 24 million people are in need. Yemen is facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. Even so, the country still hosts more than 200,000 refugees from neighbouring Somalia and Ethiopia.