“We are facing the biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time. Above all, this is not just a crisis of numbers; it is also a crisis of solidarity.” Ban Ki Moon, United Nations Secretary General i. introduction In 2015, forced displacement continued to affect an ever-increasing number of people, reaching 65.3 million individuals by the end of the year. © UNHCR / Christopher Herwig 4 W hile the rate of increase has slowed compared with the particularly sharp rises of the past couple of years, the current number of displaced globally is nonetheless the highest since the aftermath of World War II. Since 2011, when UNHCR announced a new record of 42.5 million forcibly displaced people globally, these numbers have risen sharply each year, from 45.2 million in 2012 to 51.2 million in 2013 and 59.5 million in 2014. This is an increase of more than 50 per cent in five years. The total number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) protected or assisted by UNHCR stood at 52.6 million, compared to 46.7 million at the end of 2014. During the course of 2015 more than 12.4 million individuals were forced to leave their homes and seek protection elsewhere; of this 4 These included 21.3 million refugees: 16.1 million under UNHCR’s mandate and 5.2 million Palestinian refugees registered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The global figure also included 40.8 million internally displaced persons (source: IDMC) and close to 3.2 million individuals whose asylum applications had not yet been adjudicated by the end of the reporting period. UNHCR Global Trends 2015 05