Global overview of refugees: Comparison of 2005 and 2015 data for the 10 most affected countries

Background: The refugee problem has become a global concern with multidimensional characteristics. Monitoring migration flows over time and comparing the situation with a number of indicators can give clues on how to manage the problem. Aims: In this study, the global refugee issue was discussed by focusing on such data including the potential factors causing crises in the most affected countries. Methods: In this ecological study, the analysis was completed for the countries that either “host” or “source” refugees between 2005 and 2015. Excel-dataset was formed for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) datasets and were converted to SPSS-23.0. Mapping was done via pixelmap. Results: In 2005, Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, and the United States of America were the first three on the hosting country list, while Germany ranked 8th and China 9th. In 2015, Turkey ranked first as hosting country while previously it was not even in the top 10 countries. Geographical proximity plays a crucial role during displacement. Countries differ from each other according to the values of selected indices. Conclusions: Global solutions integrated with local precautions to reduce the worldwide burden of migration are required.