Refugee Sunday

As the number of refugees passes 36.4 million (2026), we are now more aware of displaced people more than ever. And with growing calls to increase the refugee quota here, the church has a great opportunity to extend grace, manaakitanga and love to refugees arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand.

‘When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.’
Matthew 2:13-14

Why do people become refugees?

People are forced to flee—from war and violence; from natural disasters; from religious persecution, political oppression, and ethnic injustice; from food crisis, drought, and famine. They have no choice but to leave behind their land, their homes, their belongings, and their sense of identity. They run in fear for their lives, either within their own country (internally displaced people) or to another country entirely (refugees). And the heaviest toll is felt by the children.
- World Vision

Refugee Numbers

Check out these most recent figures from the United Nations Refugee Agency (updated May 2026)

117.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2023 as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order (NOTE: It was 82.4 million in 2020)
73.5 million are internally displaced people
36.4 million are refugees
8.4 million were asylum seekers
6.1 million are other people in need of international protection

67% originate from just five countries: Venezuela 6.5m, Syrian Arab Republic 5.5m, Ukraine 5.3m, Afghanistan 4.8m Sudan 2.5m)
34% hosted in five countries: Colombia 2.8m, Germany 2.7m, Türkiye 2.7m, Islamic Republic of Iran 2.5m,
Uganda1.9m.
49 million refugees are children (NOTE: 35 million in 2020)
2.3 million children were born as refugees (NOTE: 1 million in 2020)
2 million refugees returned or were resettled (NOTE: 285,400 refugees in 2020)
71% are hosted in low- and middle-income countries
4.4 million stateless persons
66% hosted by neighbouring countries.

Operation Refugee

Christian World Service remind us to remember refugees and displaced people in your prayers on Refugee Sunday. As a member of ACT Alliance (Action by Churches Together), CWS is in touch with many local organisations working with them.
Find out more about Operation Refugee, a day of fundraising and profiling the needs of refugees here