o Refugees and Beneficiaries of UN humanitarian aid in the Former Yugoslavia, statistics

Refugees and Beneficiaries of UN humanitarian aid in
the Former Yugoslavia


While the warring parties are negotiating a peace accord, the humanitarian crisis in the former Yugoslavia is ongoing. The four-year old war has taken its toll on the civilian populace. The UN and local authorities have estimated that there are over 2.7 million refugees and war affected people in Bosnia and Herzegovina alone. Refugees and displaced persons have their internet e-zine Asyl-Times. Today, many countries, particularly Germany, demand return of refugees. Yet many refugees have nowhere to return: their homes burned or still occupied by those who killed their loved ones. Still, they are ruthlessly deported (see Society for Threatened Peoples page about that). Having nowhere to go they stay in Sarajevo or other big cities, where they are threated too often as second class citizens who did not share the suffering during the war, so they have to pay a price now. Job 22 provides professional and free legal aid to refugees defending their property and personal rights, while SAFAX publishes the bulletin for refugees and about their suffering Nase Sanse (Our Chances). If you are searching for somebody, click here.


LocationRefugees and DisplacedBeneficiaries% of Beneficiaries
Bosnia & Herzegovina2,749,0002,749,000 80.47%
Croatia385,000385,00011.27%
Sectors65,00065,0001.90%
Macedonia6,3006,300.18%
Montenegro44,00025,0000.73%
Serbia405,000160,0004.68%
Slovenia26,00026,0000.76%
TOTAL3,680,3003,416,300100%


Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (as of mid-August 1995). The numbers include direct and indiredct beneficiaries of UN humanitarian assistance. Figures for Bosnia & Herzegovina reflect war-affected persons (all categories), too. Lists of war-affected persons are compiled by local authorities.

Refugees and War-Affected persons in
Bosnia & Herzegovina


RegionDisplacedWar AffectedTotal
Banja Luka183,000100,000283,000
Bihac65,000140,000205,000
Eastern Bosnia248,000224,000472,000
Sarajevo140,000300,000440,000
Southern Bosnia106,000202,000308,000
Tuzla237,000193,000430,000
Zenica348,000263,000611,000
TOTAL1,327,0001,422,0002,749,000