Since 24 September 2023, over 100,000 refugees arrived in Armenia from Karabakh in just a week, with daily arrivals ranging from around 500 to over 40,000 on 27 September.
Half were children (31%) or elderly people (18%). Arrivals largely ceased since 1 October 2023, and the humanitarian response moved from border areas to areas where refugees were settling, as their immediate needs remained dire.
Overall, over 100,000 new refugee arrivals constitute over 3% of the entire Armenian population (around 3 million), i.e. 1 in 30 people, which adds to the pre-existing caseload of around 35,000 refugees, asylum seekers and stateless people already present in the country.
Refugees arrived with few belongings, physically and psychologically exhausted, hungry, and in need of urgent psychosocial support and emergency assistance. As of 1 October 2023, key needs reported by refugees during the government registration process were shelter/accommodation (60,532 persons), food (67,370 persons), clothing items (60,396 persons) and medication (39,110 persons).
Armenian authorities are stressing the importance of transitioning from short-term assistance to longer-term support programmes, such as access to education, livelihoods, and durable housing solutions. Both emergency shelter and access to accommodation remain challenging as the housing market is already strained. The Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) needs of refugees remains acute.
UNHCR teams have been on the ground and at the border since Day 1, when the first groups of refugees arrived. The Armenian authorities are providing temporary accommodation to new arrivals with no relatives in Armenia, including in hotels, social houses and schools.
2023-2024 Humanitarian Response – key documents |
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2020-2021 Humanitarian Response – key documents |
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