CHAPTER 2 PROTRACTED REFUGEE SITUATIONS Traditionally, a protracted refugee situation has been defined by UNHCR as one in which 25,000 or more refugees from the same nationality have been in exile for five consecutive years or more in a given asylum country. 37 This criterion clearly has limitations, as displacement situations are dynamic: Refugee populations change due to new arrivals and returns that are not captured under this definition. Furthermore, smaller refugee situations might not be included even if the displacement is prolonged, especially if refugees from one nationality are in various countries of asylum. There are significant differences between protracted situations, with implications for operational policies and prioritization. In order to better understand these protracted situations, it is important to further explore their characteristics in terms of duration and numbers of people affected (Figure 9). Based on the existing definition, 11.6 million refugees, representing some two-thirds of all refugees, were in protracted refugee situations at the end of 2016. Of this number, 4.1 million were in a situation lasting 20 years or more. The situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran has involved large numbers of people – combined, more than 2 million – and has lasted more than 30 years. There were 5.6 million people in protracted situations of shorter duration (between five and nine years), most of them Syrian refugees. While most protracted situations are in Africa, these tend to be smaller or of shorter duration than the situations in other regions. The Palestinian refugees in Egypt are the longest protracted situation under UNHCR’s mandate, while continued conflict in Afghanistan sustains another long-standing refugee situation. Compared with previous years, the number of refugees in a protracted situation increased in 2016, with the inclusion of some of the countries that received Syrian refugees during the past five years. However, as a proportion of the global refugee population, the percentage is similar to 2010 and 2011 (Figure 8). 37 Only refugees under UNHCR’s mandate are considered in this analysis, which includes Palestine refugees in Egypt. 14 80% 12 70% 10 60% 50% 8 40% 6 Per cent in protracted situation Refugee population (millions) Figure 8 | Refugees in a protracted situation | 2009-2016 30% 4 20% 2 10% 0 0% 2009 2010 Refugees in protracted situation 22 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Proportion in protracted situation UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016