11 Facts About Refugees

Welcome to DoSomething.org, a global movement of millions of young people making positive change, online and off! The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page. After you learn something, Do Something! Find out how to take action here.

1. A refugee is a person who is outside his or her country of nationality and can't return due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of his or her race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.^[Human Rights Education Associates (HREA). "The Rights of Refugees." University of Minnesota Human Rights Library. Accessed February 27, 2014, http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/studyguides/refugees.htm.]
2. At the end of 2013, there were 16.7 million refugees worldwide, with the highest number in Pakistan (1.6 million).^[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Facts and Figures on Refugees." UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency. Accessed April 15, 2015. http://www.unhcr.org.uk/about-us/key-facts-and-figures.html.]
3. It’s estimated that 50% of refugees are under the age of 18.^[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Facts and Figures on Refugees." UNHCR: The UN Refugee Agency. Accessed April 15, 2015. http://www.unhcr.org.uk/about-us/key-facts-and-figures.html.]
4. An asylum seeker is a person who is looking to be recognized as a refugee, but has not yet received formal refugee status. The most asylum seekers come from Pakistan and Iran.^[Human Rights Education Associates (HREA). "The Rights of Refugees." University of Minnesota Human Rights Library. Accessed February 27, 2014, http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/studyguides/refugees.htm.]
5. Internally displaced people (IDPs) are those who have been forced to leave their homes as a result of armed conflict, generalized violence or human rights violations. Unlike refugees they have not crossed an international border.^["Internal Displacement: Global Overview of Trends and Developments in 2006" (PDF). Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). April 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-23. Accessed Feb 27, 2014. http://www.internal-displacement.org/assets/publications/2007/2007-global-overview2006-global-en.pdf]
6. In 2011, there were roughly 26.4 million people displaced internally (within their country of origin) by conflict.^["ABOUT REFUGEES, ASYLUM SEEKERS, IDPs AND TORTURE." International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) . Accessed April 15, 2015, .]
7. Under international law, refugees are not allowed to be forced back to the countries they have fled.^[Human Rights Education Associates (HREA). "The Rights of Refugees." University of Minnesota Human Rights Library. Accessed February 27, 2014, http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/edumat/studyguides/refugees.htm.]
8. Developing countries host 80% of the world’s refugees.^[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "World Refugee Day: UNHCR report finds 80 per cent of world's refugees in developing countries." UNHCR News. Accessed February 26, 2014, http://www.unhcr.org/4dfb66ef9.html.]
9. In 2012, the region with the most number of IDPs was in the Middle East and North Africa (2.5 million people).^[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Internally Displaced People Figures." UNHCR News. Accessed April 15, 2015, http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c23.html.]
10. A total of 895,000 individual applications for asylum or refugee status were submitted to governments and UNHCR offices in 166 countries in 2011. Roughly 11% of these requests were fulfilled.^[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Populations by Origin Host Country." The UN Refugee Agency. Accessed February 26, 2014, http://www.unhcr.org/516285b89.pdf.]
11. 2013 saw a significant number of people seeking asylum or refugee status from countries experiencing recent or ongoing conflict or security concerns.^["Helpful Facts & Figures." Refugees International. Accessed February 26, 2014, http://www.refintl.org/get-involved/helpful-facts-%2526-figures.]