The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has named the countries most at risk of being hit by humanitarian catastrophe next year, with Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan topping the top 10 list.
As wars, famines and other disasters loom over several countries, 2019 is set to be another arduous year for millions of people around the world.
The next seven at-risk countries identified by the IRC’s emergency response experts are Afghanistan, Venezuela, the Central African Republic, Syria, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Somalia.
The risks are both human (armed conflicts or economic collapse) as well as natural (droughts, floods and other climate-related events).
Internal or external displacement is the defining trend in the IRC list. Around 40 million people have been displaced across the world, with the top 10 countries accounting for over half – or nearly 22 million – of those displacements.
The 10 countries also account for at least 13 million refugees, 65 percent of the global total, plus an additional three million people who have fled Venezuela.
According to the United Nations, nearly 132 million people in 42 countries around the world will need humanitarian assistance, including protection, in 2019.
This photo gallery was provided by the International Rescue Committee
