The Powerful (Vagueness of) Numbers?

The Global Trends Reports represent UNHCR’s key tool to share information about annual developments in relation displacement, primarily through numbers. Among the many subjects covered, they often also address different forms of accommodation. But how do such quantifications produce (non)knowledge and link with humanitarian landscape? This article explores accommodation categories, quantifications, local categorizations as presented published from 2003 2020. While numbers appear display precise knowledge on refugees’ whereabouts, gaps prevail reports: categories remain undefined, calculations are partly unclear, recategorizations occur suddenly without explanation. argues that these issues nonknowledge, reports’ continuous attention data simulates controllability governability.