According to the report entitled: Global Estimates 2014: People displaced by disasters, which has been produced by Norwegian Refugee Council and Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (please click here to download):
• During the year 2013, in India 1.04 million people were displaced due to floods and 1.0 million people were displaced due to the tropical cyclone Phailin.
• India ranks third (total no. of people displaced in 2013: 2.14 million) among countries with highest levels of displacement due to natural hazards. However, total number of displaced in India due to conflict (violent in nature) during 2013 is 64,000.
• India ranks second (total no. of people displaced during 2008-2013: 26.13 million) among countries with highest levels of displacement during 2008-2013. However, China ranks first (total no. of people displaced: 54.25 million) among countries with highest levels of displacement during 2008-2013.
• In October 2013, widespread monsoon season floods displaced over a million in several Indian states. In the same month, cyclone Phailin, the strongest to hit India in 14 years, brought widespread devastation to eastern coastal areas and forced the evacuation of another million people. The report acknowledges that improved preparedness, including evacuations, has been credited with limiting the death toll to fewer than 50 people.
• Between 2008 and 2013, 80.9 per cent of displacement took place in Asia. The region accounted for the 14 largest displacements of 2013 and the five countries with the highest displacement levels are: the Philippines, China, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
• China, India, the Philippines, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria and the US had the highest numbers of people displaced by rapid-onset disasters over the six-year period.
• Worldwide 22 million people were displaced in 2013 by disasters sparked largely by earthquakes or climate- and weather-related events - almost three times more than by conflict in the same year.
• The risk of displacement due to disasters has more than doubled over the last four decades-largely due to the growth and concentration of urban populations, particularly in vulnerable countries.
• Both wealthy and poorer countries are affected, although developing countries bear the brunt, accounting for more than 85 per cent of displacement. But as in previous years the worst affected was Asia, where 19 million people, or 87.1 per cent of the global total, were displaced.
• As the world gears up to solidify a post-2015 development agenda, there will also be an opportunity to include the needs and challenges of internally displaced people in negotiations.
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