The number of forcibly displaced people, returnees, and stateless people in the 16 countries of the southern Africa region is expected to rise to 12.2 million in 2024, mostly people uprooted by the complex emergencies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique. The region also struggles with protracted displacement and mixed migration from sub-Saharan Africa.
Across southern Africa, displaced people and the communities that host them are increasingly susceptible to inequality, conflict, food insecurity, fragile systems, and natural disasters. Gender-based violence and asylum restrictions are of growing concern, most notably due to the rising instability in the DRC, the forced relocation of refugees and asylum-seekers to Malawi's Dzaleka camp in 2023, and xenophobic violence in South Africa and elsewhere.
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Populations
figures
Note: The "Stateless" category does not include stateless people who are also in other categories, to avoid double counting. The total number of stateless, across all categories, is .
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder.
Population by country
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder.
Population by origin
Source: UNHCR Refugee Data Finder.
Financials
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Budget by Impact Areas
Source: 2024 budget and 2023 current budget are taken from the budget document approved by UNHCR's Executive Committee in October 2023.
Budget by Outcome and Enabling Areas
Source: 2024 budget and 2023 current budget are taken from the budget document approved by UNHCR's Executive Committee in October 2023.
Budget by operation
Source: 2024 budget and 2023 current budget are taken from the budget document approved by UNHCR's Executive Committee in October 2023.