List of largest refugee crises


This article provides a list of data to rank the largest refugee crises in modern history by the event that caused them. Only those events that resulted in the creation of at least one million refugees—not including internally displaced persons—are included in this ranking.
For events for which estimates vary, the geometric mean of the lowest and highest estimates is calculated in order to rank them. As the dates for some events are disputed, the provided data only covers the time since or between the listed years.

List

Rows that are highlighted in red denote crises that are ongoing, as of. Data for ongoing events may be outdated or disputed, and may be adjusted to reflect smaller or larger figures with newer analyses and reports.
EventRefugees OriginFromUntilDuration
World War IIEurope19391945
Partition of IndiaSouth Asia19471948
World War IEurope191419184 years
Bangladesh genocideEast Pakistan 19711971
Venezuelan crisisVenezuela2014Present
Europe2022Present
Syrian civil warSyria20112024
Soviet–Afghan WarAfghanistan19781989
Yemeni civil war Yemen2014Present
Sudanese civil war Republic of the Sudan2023Present
Indochina crisisMainland Southeast Asia19752000
War in Afghanistan Afghanistan2001202120 years
Yugoslav WarsYugoslavia19912001
Korean WarKorean Peninsula19501953
Iraq WarIraq20032011
Rwandan genocideRwanda19941996
Iraqi uprisingsIraq19911991
Wars in the CaucasusCaucasus19881996
Mozambican Civil WarMozambique19771992
Arab–Israeli conflictWest Asia and North Africa1947Present
South Sudanese Civil WarRepublic of South Sudan20112020
Rohingya genocideMyanmar2016Present
Armenian genocide1 millionOttoman Empire191519238 years
Algerian WarAlgeria19541962
Irish Great FamineIreland18451849
First Libyan Civil WarLibya20112011
Somali Civil WarSomalia1991Present