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The Health Crisis Driving Ethiopia's Climate Refugees

20 million+

people are displaced by
climate change every year

Ethiopia is one of many regions
facing increasingly devastating droughts.

Ethiopian landscape

Crops are failing.
Livestock are dying.

Water is becoming more scarce.

People displaced by climate change

For many, the only way to survive is to leave.

They often end up in refugee camps with inadequate sanitation and frequent disease outbreaks.

The Hidden Health Crisis

Climate displacement creates cascading health emergencies

3x
Higher risk of infectious disease in refugee camps
60%
Of displaced children suffer from malnutrition

Inadequate Sanitation

Overcrowded camps lack clean water and proper waste disposal, leading to outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and diarrheal diseases.

Mental Health Crisis

Displacement trauma, loss of livelihood, and uncertain futures contribute to widespread depression, anxiety, and PTSD among refugees.

Limited Healthcare Access

Refugee camps often have minimal medical facilities, leaving chronic conditions untreated and maternal mortality rates elevated.

Climate refugees health impact

The Growing Crisis

Climate displacement is accelerating globally

21.5M
People displaced annually by weather-related disasters
That's one person every 2 seconds
216M
Projected climate migrants by 2050
Without urgent climate action
+41%
Increase in climate displacement since 2008
And the trend continues upward

Most Vulnerable Regions

Explore More Climate Change Work

If you enjoyed this story, you are welcome to explore more of our climate change work done by our Global Health Center.

Visit Our Climate Change Hub

Sources

IDMC - Global Report on Internal Displacement 2025
Water.org - Three Mothers, Three Stories (Narrated by Jodie Foster)
Environmentalist Media - Ethiopia Climate Change Adaptation & Disaster Risk Reduction
World Bank - Groundswell Report: Climate Migration Projections (2021)