Global estimates 2015: people displaced by disasters

This annual report draws on information from a wide range of sources, including governments, UN and international organisations, NGOs and media, to provide up-to-date figures and analysis on displacement caused by disasters associated with rapid-onset geophysical and weather-related hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and storms. The report aims to equip governments, local authorities, civil society organisations and international and regional institutions with evidence relevant to these key post-2015 agenda.

The report reveals how, in 2014, 17.5 million people were forced to flee their homes by disasters brought on by weather-related hazards such as floods and storms, and 1.7 million by geophysical hazards such as earthquakes.

The report points to the man-made factors that drive an overall increasing trend in disaster displacement, like rapid economic development, urbanisation and population growth in hazard-prone areas. Climate change is also expected to exacerbate the situation in the future, as severe weather hazards become more frequent and intense. The report argues that these drivers are increasing the number of people becoming displaced, and the risk that their displacement becomes a long-term problem.