OECD members: Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, OECD members' internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) rose 348.6% on 2022 (from 1.18 million to 5.3 million).

Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2022), the average change was +5.7% and a typical year strayed about 37.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 9.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 348.6% in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 54.9% in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 11% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Internally displaced persons are defined according to the 1998 Guiding Principles (http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/1998/ocha-guiding-principles-on-internal-displacement) as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of armed conflict, or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border. "New Displacement" refers to the number of new cases or incidents of displacement recorded over the specified year, rather than the number of people displaced. This is done because people may have been displaced more than once.

Limitations: Please note that most of the figures are estimates. The definition highlights two issues: 1) The coercive or otherwise involuntary character of movement. The definition mentions some of the most common causes of involuntary movements, such as armed conflict, violence, human rights violations and disasters. These causes have in common that they give no choice to people but to leave their homes and deprive them of the most essential protection mechanisms, such as community networks, access to services, livelihoods. Displacement severely affects the physical, socio-economic and legal safety of people and should be systematically regarded as an indicator of potential vulnerability.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 11 values

Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 418,000 (2023)
• Algeria — 23,000 (2023)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 124,000 (2023)
• Iraq — 36,000 (2023)
• Pakistan — 732,000 (2023)
• West Bank and Gaza — 250 (2022)
• Yemen, Rep. — 240,000 (2023)

More public sector data for OECD members

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 13.96 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.81 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.52% (2025)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 29.62 billion (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 1.58% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -4.68% (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 10.63% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP) — 26.38% (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of revenue) — 28.77% (2024)

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Questions people ask

What is OECD members's internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases)?

5.3 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2013?

It is up 323.48% from 1.25 million in 2013 (15.53% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 5.3 million in 2023 and the lowest 1.03 million in 2021.

Is the latest change in internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) unusual for OECD members?

In 2023, OECD members' internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disasters (number of cases) rose 348.6% on 2022 (from 1.18 million to 5.3 million). Across the 9 yearly changes before that (2014 to 2022), the average change was +5.7% and a typical year strayed about 37.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 9.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.IDP.NWDS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), uri: http://www.internal-displacement.org/ Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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