The 10 countries from which the most refugees have fled are shown here. Taken together, about 35 million have fled these countries to seek asylum elsewhere.
The bubbles represent the number of refugees in each country of asylum.
When we categorize these countries of asylum by climate hazard zones, we can see that many refugees have fled to countries classified as exposed to high or severe climate hazards.
The countries of origin, shown on the left side, are also classified by climate hazard.
The climate crisis is pushing already vulnerable populations from one danger to another. For instance: more than 700,000 refugees have fled Sudan to Chad, a country grappling with high natural hazards, such as heavy rains and flooding.
Hailing from one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, 72 per cent of Myanmar’s internationally displaced people, including registered refugees and asylum-seekers, now find themselves in Bangladesh, where natural hazards are classified as extreme.
Similarly, 86 per cent of internationally displaced Afghans, refugees and asylum-seekers have sought refuge in Iran and Pakistan, countries that are both affected by even higher climate risks than their home country.
The situation will only get worse. We can change the chart to show the forecasted climate hazard class for each country by 2040 when the vast majority of asylum countries will be classified as exposed to either high, severe, or extreme climate hazards.
The climate hazard class for countries of origin is also expected to change for the worse.