a map of where syrian refugees have gone. From UNHCR

Map of the Day: Syria’s Ignominious Milestone

As of today, the number of Syrian refugees has surpassed three million.

Here is where they have gone, from the UN Refugee Agency.

a map of where syrian refugees have gone. From UNHCR

I think it’s worth adding a little bit more context to this figure. The Syrian civil war broke out in March 2011.  By the end of August 2012, there were 199,471 refugees. By the end of August 2013 that number surged to 1,834,708 people who fled fighting in Syria. Now, just one year later, that number has increased by over 1 million people.

Even more context: the three million refugees represent less than half of the total number of people displaced by Syria’s conflict. There’s an estimated 6.5 million people displaced inside Syria. This means that about half of Syria’s population has now been forced to flee their homes.

These figures are absolutely appalling. But what’s worse is that these figures are still increasing. There’s been no letup in the fighting and no letup in the number of Syrians fleeing for their lives. The situation in Syria shows absolutely no sign of abating anytime soon. Any international diplomatic effort to put an end to this civil war is stalled, perhaps permanently so.

Things are bad in Syria. And more than three years after the conflict they are only getting worse. This is a stain on the entire international community.