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Middle Eastern and North African Regions: Religious Landscapes Explored

Middle Eastern and North African countries, predominantly Muslim, witnessed a growth in their religious groups' numbers between 2010 and 2020, as per Pew Research Center's data.

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Middle Eastern and North African Religious Landscape: An Overview
Middle Eastern and North African Religious Landscape: An Overview

Middle Eastern and North African Regions: Religious Landscapes Explored

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A Rapid Look:The gist of this research illustrates recent global numbers, facts, and trends shaping our world as observed by multiple research organizations. Here's a concise summary from key players:

UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) — Global Displacement Figures

  • By 2025′s end, around 123.2 million people globally were forcibly displaced due to persecution, war, violence, rights violations, and public order disturbances.
  • This equates to roughly 1 out of every 67 people on Earth, a 6% increase (7 million people) compared to 2024's end.
  • Forced displacement has almost doubled over the last decade.
  • However, by April 2026, the number of forcibly displaced people saw a minor decline of about 1% to approximately 122.1 million, marking the first decrease in over a decade.
  • The future trajectory depends on peace initiatives and conflict resolutions in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ukraine, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria, along with funding for refugees [2].

World Bank — Global Economic Overview

  • The projected global financial growth for 2026 slows to 2.3%, falling nearly half a percentage point below earlier predictions.
  • This rate signifies the weakest global growth pace since 2008, excluding recessions.
  • Around 70% of all economies have had their growth forecasts revised due to escalating trade tensions and policy unpredictability.
  • A global recession isn't anticipated, but the average growth rate for the 2020s will be the slowest since the 1960s.
  • Growth in developing economies has slowed dramatically, from an average of 6% in the 2000s to under 4% in the 2020s.
  • Global trade growth and investment growth have decreased significantly, while debt levels have surged to record highs [3].

OECD — Economic Outlook 2026

  • Global GDP growth is estimated to slow from 3.3% in 2025 to 2.9% in 2026 and 2027.
  • The decline will be most noticeable in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China.
  • Growth through 2026 shows signs of weakness, with global output projected to rise by just 2.6% over the period.
  • Trade barriers and policy uncertainty are significant factors contributing to the slowdown [4].
  • The global average data center vacancy rate experienced a reduction of 2.1 percentage points year-over-year in Q1 2026, indicating a tightening supply.
  • Paris witnessed the most significant reduction, with vacancy falling from 16.1% to 7.7%.
  • Energy availability continues to pose a challenge for data center expansion in key markets, resulting in growth in up-and-coming locations like Richmond (North America), Santiago (Latin America), and Mumbai (Asia-Pacific).
  • Demand for data center space remains robust, with cloud providers and AI companies extensively preleasing space and extending construction schedules to 2027 and beyond.
  • Data center rates increased by 3.3% year-over-year globally to $217.30 per kilowatt per month, with notable pricing increases in Northern Virginia (+17.6%), Chicago (+17.2%), and Amsterdam (+18%) [1].
  • AI-related workloads fuel high-density, multi-megawatt demand in cities like Tokyo, Sydney, Bogotá, and Mumbai.
  • Operators are adopting innovative technologies such as liquid cooling and creating sovereign AI zones to remain competitive [1].

These insights from UNHCR, World Bank, OECD, and CBRE reveal key current global trends: a modest decrease in forced displacement numbers after a decade-long increase; a weakening global economy with slow growth and high uncertainty; and an evolving digital infrastructure sector shaped by AI and limited by power availability. These numbers and trends impact governmental, business, and humanitarian concerns worldwide.

  • The statistics from UNHCR reveal a decrease in forcibly displaced people for the first time in over a decade, potentially influencing immigration policies and general-news coverage.
  • While the World Bank predicts a slowing global economy, the digital infrastructure sector, as illustrated by CBRE's data, remains robust, which could have significant implications for religion, politics, and methodological research, particularly in the realm of technology and innovation.

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