More than half of the world's refugees have been taken in by just ten nations, whose combined economic weight amounts to no more than 2.5 per cent of global gross domestic product. The denunciation comes from a report by Amnesty International, which pulls no punches in condemning "the selfishness of wealthy countries," whose "complete absence of political will and responsibility" makes the poorest countries on the planet pay the price of humanitarian crises.

Barcone migranti libia — A boat packed with migrants spotted off the coast of Libya ©ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images

Jordan alone is home to 2.7 million refugees

These countries have indeed provided shelter to 56 per cent of those forced to flee their homes: in the front line is Jordan, which has found itself facing an unprecedented wave of refugees arriving from Syria, ravaged by a war that has lasted more than five years. The Middle Eastern kingdom is currently home to more than 2.7 million people; in second place comes Turkey, with 2.5 million. Then Pakistan, which has taken in 1.6 million (the majority from Afghanistan), and Lebanon with 1.5 million.

But some of the world's most disadvantaged nations are also doing their part. This is the case for Ethiopia, which shelters 736,000 refugees, Kenya (554,000), Uganda (477,000), the Democratic Republic of Congo (383,000) and Chad (369,000). All of these countries border conflict zones and, as Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty explained, "are being forced to shoulder too great a responsibility. The situation is clearly unsustainable, given that vast numbers of refugees find themselves living in conditions of intolerable misery and suffering."

Rifugiato Calais Francia — A Kurdish migrant in a refugee camp ©PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images

The United Kingdom has taken in fewer than eight thousand Syrians in 5 years

The NGO compared the figures with those of the world's wealthiest states, highlighting for example how the United Kingdom had agreed to receive "fewer than eight thousand Syrians since 2011." For this reason the NGO has launched an appeal to governments around the world, urging them to take action to ensure "a fair distribution" of refugees, "determined on the basis of objective criteria" that take into account parameters such as wealth, population, and unemployment rates.

Ten (poor) countries host half of the world's refugees