2024 in numbers: what you need to know
In 2024…
- UNHCR assisted 5.7 million people
- 5.1 million relief items were distributed (worth CHF 41.2 million)
- UNHCR declared 26 new emergencies
- UNHCR responded to 43 active emergencies
- 1 in 3 emergencies were climate-related
- 91% of UNHCR’s workforce is deployed in the field
"Responsibility toward refugees is and will remain shared. That principle is core to the Global Compact on Refugees. How we better, collectively exercise that responsibility is the issue at stake, especially in an overall context [...] of more conflicts, less peace, fewer durable solutions, and fluctuating humanitarian funding. Let me thank once again all our donors for putting their trust in us. [...] Yes we do need more funding, and more flexible funding so we can remain agile and responsive to the needs of all forcibly displaced and stateless people equally, without distinction."
— UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, at the seventy-fifth plenary session of the Executive Committee
Intensified operations to respond to emergencies in 2024
The magnitude of 2024’s crises was staggering: UNHCR responded to 43 active emergencies across 25 countries, including 26 new emergencies declared in 2024 and 17 ongoing crises from 2023.
Humanitarian needs are intensifying around the world. Wars, conflicts, and climate disasters lead to more deaths, destruction, suffering, and displacement. For the second year in a row, UNHCR extended its emergency response to the brutal war in Sudan and its regional impact reflecting the persistence and scale of the needs. Another emergency declaration was issued to provide protection and life-saving aid to refugees and displaced people in Lebanon and Syria.
Extreme weather events, notably heavy rains and severe floods, forced UNHCR to issue a record nine climate-related emergency declarations in a single year, making them almost a third of emergencies declared in 2024. Our teams addressed the needs of forcibly displaced populations and host communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America following these events. These climate-related disasters impacted areas already hosting refugees and people displaced by war, worsening disease outbreaks and destroying livelihoods and critical infrastructure.
During 2024, UNHCR strengthened efforts across Africa to ensure the inclusion of forcibly displaced populations in response to the mpox outbreak. It also ramped up operations to address ongoing and intensified crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Ukraine and the Darien.
People’s journeys to safety: UNHCR will stay for as long as needed
The 2024 Impact Report: Response to new emergencies and protracted crises highlights an alarming reality: new and ongoing conflicts, wars, and disasters are forcing millions of people to flee their homes, and the number is likely to reach close to 140 million in 2025. UNHCR is there at every step of their journey to protect them. In 2024, we bolstered proactive emergency preparedness by conducting risk assessments, delivering specialized training for emergency experts, and rapidly deploying emergency supplies to where they were needed most. It is thanks to your support that UNHCR was able to help and assist so many people in 2024.
Today, the call for solidarity and funding has never been more urgent, especially flexible funding – which remains a lifeline, enabling UNHCR to swiftly allocate resources at the onset of a crisis and sustain essential support to those most in need.