Russia's invasion of Ukraine has only been underway for a month, but it has already caused 4 million Ukrainians to flee their country and seek refuge in various nations.
However, the Russo-Ukrainian war is not among the list of country conflicts that have resulted in the highest number of refugees worldwide. According to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the largest waves of refugees in recent years have originated from two Asian countries. The Syrian Civil War tops the list with a total of 6.9 million people forced to leave the country.
The Afghan Civil War is second, with 6.3 million refugees. The Afghan-Soviet War caused 5.6 million people to flee to other countries.
Overall, the UNHCR estimates that approximately 21 million refugees under its mandate were forced to leave their countries by the end of 2020. Meanwhile, another 48 million people became internally displaced persons due to military conflict and other reasons.
Below is the number of the largest refugee populations based on crises or conflicts that have occurred since 1960 to the present.
1. Syrian Civil War (2011-present) – 6.9 million people
2. Afghan Civil War (1989-1996) – 6.3 million people
3. Afghan-Soviet War (1979-1989) – 5.6 million people
4. Venezuelan Economic/Political Unrest (2014-present) – 5.1 million people
5. Russian Invasion of Ukraine (2022) – 4 million people
6. Taliban Regime (1996-2021) – 3.8 million people
7. Taliban Insurgency (2002-2021) – 3.1 million people
8. Derg Regime in Ethiopia (1974-1991) – 2.6 million people