Indicator Report 2023
Indicator Report 2023
The Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) Indicator Report is part of the follow-up and review process outlined in the Compact. It is a means of measuring and sustaining progress towards achieving the four objectives of the GCR, based on the GCR Indicator Framework.
The first edition of the Indicator Report was published in November 2021, shortly before the High-Level Officials Meeting (HLOM), and reflected on the progress made in the five years since the adoption of the New York Declaration in 2016, helping to steer the discussions which led to the 20 key recommendations from the HLOM.
This second edition, the GCR Indicator Report 2023, continues the review of progress made since 2016 towards the core principle of predictable and equitable burden- and responsibility-sharing to improve the situation of refugees and host communities. It is designed to contribute to the evidence base to guide the discussions and development of pledges and contributions at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) in December 2023.
The report highlights some examples of sustained progress across the four GCR objectives, such as assisting refugee-hosting countries with lower incomes and increasing refugees’ access to education, economic inclusion, resettlement, and complementary pathways. However, while burden- and responsibility-sharing for hosting refugees slightly improved since 2016, it remained highly inequitable. Accelerated action and scaled-up efforts are needed across all four objectives, with a broader support base.
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Three takeaways from the Global Compact on Refugees Indicator Report
Key takeaways
More data
Data availability for the GCR indicators has significantly expanded.
Progress
Sustained progress in many areas across the objectives.
Inequitable sharing
Burden- and responsibility-sharing remained inequitable.
Immense potential
Accelerated action and scaled-up efforts in all four GCR objectives, with a broader support base needed.
Key findings
Scale of burden and responsibilities for refugees
Reductions in the growth rate of the total number of refugees and other people in need of international protection after the affirmation of the GCR in 2018 reversed, with a record-high number of refugees in 2022. The number of refugees and other people in need of international protection doubled from 2016 to 2022, with over 34.6 million by the end of 2022.
Ease pressure on host countries
In 2020-2021, the total volume of Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocated to refugee situations in low-income countries (LICs) and middle-income countries (MICs) amounted to USD 26.4 billion but has been unevenly distributed across refugee situations.
Enhance refugee self-reliance
Many national governments adopted law and policy environments for enhanced access to work, freedom of movement, and inclusion in national education systems. However, more efforts and support are needed to translate these policies into practice to ensure refugees can effectively access national systems.
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Finding solutions
Resettlement departures somewhat rebounded in 2022, after dropping during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the total number of refugees who accessed third-country solutions remained low compared to needs.
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Support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity
New displacement outpaced available solutions, including returns in 2022, with close to two-thirds of refugees living in protracted situations.
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Burden and responsibility sharing
Although burden-and responsibility-sharing for hosting refugees has been slowly, but steadily becoming more equitable since 2016, in line with the GCR, it remains highly inequitable overall.
Investing in data is key to making headway in the lives of refugees and host communities.
Data availability for the GCR indicators has significantly expanded, but the challenge remains in securing timely, comparable, reliable, and disaggregated data.