As of June 30th, 2021, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) assess there are 5,235,064 people who maintain their internally displaced status in Colombia.

According to the Single Victims Registry (RUV), the figure reported by the Colombian Government has a historical accumulation of almost 8,219,403 victims of forced displacement due to events from 1985 to December 31^st, 2021.

Working with the Unit for the Victims, the Colombian government entity in charge of the RUV, the IDMC presents the total of registered people who, at the end of 2021, continued in an internal forced displacement situation, as well as those that have advanced towards lasting solutions.

IDMC figures for Colombia are published in the Global Report on Internal Displacement 2022 (GRID) along with figures for the rest of the countries. The IDMC considered studies focused on overcoming the vulnerability situation, which the Colombian Government carries out every six months, and are based on compliance with the identification, health, psychosocial care, education, food, housing, family reunification and income generation rights.

Access to data regarding displaced population allowed IDMC to recognize this population progress in the search for durable solutions, as well as the Colombian Government effort to support displaced people overcoming their condition and enjoying their rights. In this sense, the IDMC estimates the number of people who maintain their status as internally displaced in Colombia is 5,235,064 as of June 30, 2021.

The IDMC analysis gives a lower figure than the RUV reported by the Colombian Government because the IDMC considered the Exceeding Vulnerability Situation figures carried out by the Unit for the Victims; in addition, it subtracted the number of deceased people found in the RUV.

It is worth noting that, due to the RUV’s value as part of historical memory, the recognition of the victims and the public policies for Humans Right restoration design, the Colombian Government maintains the count of all the people who suffered this victimizing event since 1985, whatever their current situation. Likewise, the statistics published by the Unit for the Victims also serve as a reference for other State entities that make up the National Victims Integral Care and Reparation System (SNARIV in its Spanish acronym).

IDMC acknowledges the reasons justifying this decision and, at the same time, seeks updated, standardized and, therefore, comparable figures on the current situation of internal displacement in the world, so this data serves as input for policies and programs’ design worldwide. The figure published by IDMC, because of this synergy, seeks to attest the Colombian Government effort regarding displacement victims’ registration and their vulnerability situation analysis.

IDMC thanks the Colombian Government for its collaboration and recognizes its commitment to fulfill its responsibility to keep an adequate record, as well as to provide data and evidence on internal forced displacement, an exemplary task for the international community.

For its part, the Unit for the Victims, as the Colombian Government entity responsible for leading actions by the State and society to fully care for and compensate the conflict victims, appreciates the GRID’s efforts for standardized statistical provisions that allow comparison at national and international levels, information that also helps planning how to end internal forced displacement for different governments.

(End/FAR/COG/RAM)