2011:42.5 million people ended 2011 either as refugees_15.42 million, internally displaced_26.4 million, or as asylum seekers_895,000

UNHCR Global trends report, 2011: UNHCR’s new report documents that 42.5 million people ended 2011 either as refugees (15.42 million), internally displaced (26.4 million), or as asylum seekers (895,000). 4.3 million people were newly displaced in 2011, but the high number of new refugees was offset by large numbers of IDPs returning home:  3.2 million, the highest rate in more than a decade. The report identifies several worrying trends: forced displacement is affecting larger numbers of people globally, with the annual level exceeding 42 million for each of the last five years and a person who becomes a refugee is likely to stay one for many years – 7.1 million refugees in UNHCR’s mandate have been in exile for at least five years.