This is a list of largest refugee crises to occur.
The list below includes the number of refugees per event with at least 1 million individuals included. This list does not include internally displaced persons (IDP). For events for which estimates vary, the geometric mean of the lowest and highest estimates is calculated to rank the events.
Rows highlighted in blue indicate a present event that is occurring.
Event | Refugees estimate | Origin | From | Until | Duration | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
World War II | 60.0 million | Europe | 1939 | 1945 | 6 years | [1][2][3][4][5][6] |
Partition of India | 10.0–20.0 million | Indian subcontinent | 1947 | 1948 | 1 year | [7][8] |
World War I | 7.0–15.0 million | Europe | 1914 | 1918 | 4 years | [9][10][11] |
Russian Invasion of Ukraine | 9.2 million[note 1] | Ukraine and Russia | 2022 | Present | 2 years, 1 month | [12][13][14][15] |
Bangladesh Liberation War | 9.0 million | Indian subcontinent | 1971 | 1971 | 8 months | [16] |
Crisis in Venezuela | 7.7 million | Venezuela | 2014 | Present | 10 years | [17] |
Syrian Civil War | 6.7 million | Syria | 2011 | Present | 13 years | [18] |
Soviet–Afghan War | 6.2 million | Afghanistan | 1978 | 1989 | 11 years | [19] |
Israeli–Palestinian Conflict | 5.6 million | Palestine (region) | 1947 | Present | 77 years | [20] |
Yemeni Civil War | 4.5 million | Yemen | 2015 | Present | 9 years | [21] |
Vietnam War | 3.0 million | Mainland Southeast Asia | 1975 | 2000 | 25 years | [22] |
War in Afghanistan | 2.6–2.7 million | Afghanistan | 2001 | 2021 | 20 years | [23][24] |
Yugoslav Wars | 2.4 million | Yugoslavia | 1991 | 2001 | 10 years | [25] |
Korean War | 1.0–5.0 million | Korea | 1950 | 1953 | 3 years | [26][27] |
Iraq War | 2.2 million | Iraq | 2003 | 2012 | 9 years | [28] |
Rwandan Genocide | 2.1 million | Rwanda | 1994 | 1996 | 2 years | [29] |
War in Sudan | 2.0 million | Sudan | 2023 | Present | 1 year | [30] |
Iraqi Uprisings | 1.8 million | Iraq | 1991 | 1991 | 8 months | [22] |
Mozambican Civil War | 1.7 million | Mozambique | 1977 | 1992 | 15 years | [22] |
South Sudanese Civil War | 1.5 million | South Sudan | 2011 | 2020 | 9 years | [31] |
Rohingya Genocide | 1.3 million | Myanmar | 2016 | Present | 8 years | [32] |
Algerian War | 1.0 million | Algeria | 1954 | 1962 | 8 years | [22] |
Irish Great Famine | 1.0 million | Ireland | 1845 | 1849 | 4 years | [33] |
First Libyan Civil War | 1.0 million | Libya | 2011 | 2011 | 8 months | [34] |
Somali Civil War | 1.0 million | Somalia | 1991 | Present | 33 years | [35] |