Refugee Camps and Settlements
How millions of refugees live in camps and settlements, the challenges of protracted displacement, and the debate over camps versus urban integration.
Life in Camps
Over 100 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, and millions live in refugee camps that were designed as temporary solutions but have become permanent communities. Dadaab in Kenya, established in 1991, has housed Somali refugees for over three decades and at its peak held nearly half a million people. Zaatari camp in Jordan, built in 2012 for Syrians, quickly became Jordan's fourth-largest city. The Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, house nearly a million people in one of the most densely populated places on earth.
Camp conditions vary enormously but often feature overcrowding, inadequate sanitation, limited access to education and healthcare, restricted freedom of movement, and dependence on humanitarian aid. Sexual and gender-based violence is a persistent crisis. Children born in camps may grow up without birth certificates, education, or the ability to legally work. The average duration of refugee displacement is now estimated at 20 years, meaning that what begins as an emergency response becomes a decades-long governance challenge.
