Immigration Forecast for 2024 - Majority of residents from these specified nations seek asylum in Germany.
Globally, the number of individuals forced to flee their homes due to violence, war, and persecution has reached an all-time high. As reported by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on June 13, 2024 in Geneva, there were a staggering 120 million people displaced – a ten percent increase from the previous year. This marked the twelfth consecutive rise in displaced persons.
Overall, about one and a half percent of the global population has been displaced from their homes, according to the latest World Refugee Report. Interestingly, around two-thirds of these displaced individuals remain within their own country's borders. Contrary to popular belief, migrants and refugees do not primarily flock to wealthy nations. Instead, as stated by UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, 75% of those displaced reside in poor or middle-income countries. For the most part, these individuals wait in neighboring countries, eager to one day return to their homeland.
US Leads Asylum Applications, Germany Ranked Second
When it comes to asylum applications, the United States leads with a total of 1.2 million applications, while Germany follows in second place with approximately 330,000 applications. This puts Germany ahead of countries like Egypt, Spain, and Canada in terms of asylum applications.
Comparing numbers from year to year can be a bit misleading due to improving data collection in some countries and changes in how data is gathered. These records date back to 1951, when the UNHCR first began tracking refugee numbers.
Schulze Promotes More Development Aid
Federal Minister for Development Cooperation, Svenja Schulze (SPD), believes the increasing number of refugees underscores the need for more development aid, not less. Development policy offers refugees opportunities to stay in their home countries and eventually return. According to the Minister, this is not only beneficial for the refugees but also for Germany.
