Nearly 5 million internally displaced in Bangladesh due to natural disasters: IOM

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the UN migration agency, has said that nearly five million people are currently internally displaced in Bangladesh due to natural disasters. The information was disclosed on Wednesday November 10 at an event held at a hotel in Dhaka.

IOM’s assessment shows that before April 2020, two-thirds of the displaced population, 63 percent, had already been uprooted, while one-fourth, 25 percent, were displaced between April 2020 and April 2024. The information was collected from interviews with more than 29,000 respondents and 5,388 field visits between September and October this year.

Based on divisional distribution, Chattogram has the highest number of displaced persons with 1.21 million, followed by Dhaka with 790,000 and Rajshahi with 660,000. One-fourth of the total displaced population is currently located in Chattogram, Sirajganj, Bhola and Noakhali districts. Most displaced people, 85 percent, are living in rural unions.

Lance Bono, IOM Bangladesh chief of mission, said that having accurate data on displaced populations is crucial for disaster management and long-term planning. This will help national and local authorities, as well as development partners, take more structured measures, he said.

Incorporating the data into the government’s official data management system will support more precise policy decisions in areas including disaster preparedness, rehabilitation, social protection and climate adaptation under long-term development planning.

Secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, Aleya Akter, addressed the event virtually. Representatives from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the European Union were also present. Officials from government agencies and development partners took part in the panel discussion.