Introduction
A refugee can be defined as a person who is forced to flee their native country from war, persecutory violence (for reasons of race, religion, or nationality), or devastating natural disasters. Refugees flee their country – often leaving behind their belongings, jobs, and families – and seek to enter a neighboring country. If the neighboring country is likewise affected by war, conflicts, and violence, the refugees may go on to seek asylum and refuge in the next safest country. Refugees seldom arrive alone, but generally in groups.
Although refugees are encouraged to enter a country legally, using the legal processes to naturalize new citizens that are in place along a country’s borders, some refugees may arrive in a country illegally. Depending on the regulation that is in place within the receiving country, individuals who seek refuge could be naturalized, arrested, or deported. Processing refugees and relocating them en masse can be a great challenge for countries to handle well, and processes may differ greatly from one country to another. Yet, they are uniformly protected in international law by the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Learn more about refugees by country by investigating the data in the charts.
[shield-db-table]
Need to survey a highly targeted audience?
Talk to our Experts