The number of forcibly displaced people worldwide has soared to an unprecedented 123.2 million by the end of 2024, a 6.2 per cent increase compared to the previous year. This figure, revealed in the latest World Refugee Report, means the number of displaced individuals has nearly doubled over the past decade.
Forced displacement is no longer a temporary crisis, it’s one of the defining global challenges of our time. World Refugee Day reminds us of our shared responsibility to ensure protection, opportunity, and dignity for those forced to flee.
Persistent conflicts, violence, persecution, human rights violations, collapsing state structures, and economic crises remain the primary causes of displacement. These challenges are increasingly intensified by the impacts of the climate crisis. Hunger is another major factor, compelling people to abandon their homes in search of survival.
For millions each year, fleeing means embarking on an uncertain journey, leaving behind their homes, possessions, and livelihoods. For many, it is the only remaining option to escape a desperate reality. Action Against Hunger stands by people in these extreme emergencies, delivering life-saving assistance.
We provide food, clean drinking water, and medical treatment for acutely malnourished children. We also improve water and sanitation systems to prevent disease outbreaks in refugee camps and offers psychosocial support to help people heal from trauma.
Sudan now faces the largest displacement crisis globally, with 14.3 million people uprooted, over half of them women. After more than two years of war, some 25 million people, or more than half the population, suffer from hunger. The situation is further exacerbated by a dramatic rise in gender-based violence. An estimated 12.1 million women and girls in Sudan are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence and in urgent need of protection.
Since 2018, Action Against Hunger has been active in Sudan, providing medical care and food to more than 815,000 people since the conflict escalated in April 2023. Our teams have also assisted 12,000 survivors of gender-based violence.
Despite the fall of the Syrian government in December 2024, over 100,000 people fled to Lebanon in search of safety. Today, Lebanon hosts about 1.4 million Syrian refugees — the highest number relative to its population globally. Many arrive with nothing and end up in overcrowded shelters with limited access to clean water, healthcare, or sufficient food.
Action Against Hunger, active in Lebanon since 2006, supports vulnerable families across Beirut, Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel, Nabatiyeh, and southern Lebanon. Our work includes providing clean water, hygiene supplies, nutritional supplements, medical services, financial aid, and rebuilding agricultural land and water infrastructure.
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 56 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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