Frequently asked questions

Under international law, a refugee is someone who is forced to flee their home country to escape persecution or a serious threat to their life, physical integrity or freedom. This may be linked to their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership of a social group. But also to situations of conflict, violence or public disorder. Refugees are protected by international law and cannot be sent back home if their life or freedom would be at risk.

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There are 43.4 million refugees across the world and around 40 per cent of them are children under the age of 18. The total number of displaced people worldwide is 117.3 million. This includes not only refugees but also asylum-seekers and people displaced inside their own countries.

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Of the world’s refugees and other people in need of international protection, 75 per cent are hosted by low- or middle-income countries.

Colombia, Germany, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan and Türkiye hosted nearly 2 in 5 of the world’s refugees and other people in need of international protection.

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Refugees are defined and protected in international law. Refugees are people outside their country of origin because of feared persecution, conflict, violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order, and who, as a result, require ‘international protection’.

The term ‘migrant’, on the other hand, is not defined under international law and is sometimes used differently by different stakeholders. Traditionally, the word ‘migrant’ has been used to designate people who move by choice rather than to escape conflict or persecution, usually across an international border. This can include finding work or pursuing an education, but also for reuniting with family or other reasons. People may also move to alleviate significant hardships that arise from natural disasters, famine, or extreme poverty. Those who leave their countries for these reasons would not usually be considered refugees under international law.

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An asylum-seeker is a person who is applying (or preparing to apply) for asylum in another country to seek international protection. A final determination of the protection need, however, has not yet been made for such persons. While not every asylum-seeker will ultimately be recognized as a refugee, an asylum-seeker may not be sent back to their country of origin pending a final determination.

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Refugees cannot go home as long as conflict or persecution puts their lives at risk. But sometimes they are still unsafe in the country to which they fled. Resettlement is the selection and transfer of refugees to a third country, which agrees to admit them as refugees with permanent residence status, ensuring protection against refoulement and providing resettled refugees and their dependants with access to rights similar to those of nationals. Resettlement also carries the opportunity to eventually become a naturalized citizen. 

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Statelessness refers to the condition of being stateless. A person is stateless when no State recognizes this person as a national according to the operation of the State's law. Stateless people often face significant challenges accessing basic rights. For example, a stateless person often isn't allowed to go to school, see a doctor, get a job, open a bank account, buy a house or get married.

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UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization working to save lives, protect rights and build a better future for refugees, internally displaced communities and stateless people. We work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find refuge from violence or persecution.

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UNHCR staff in 136 countries are working to ensure the protection of people forced to flee, strengthen access to education and livelihoods, and provide life-saving support like shelter, water, food and health care. UNHCR partners with governments, non-profit organizations and private-sector companies to support forcibly displaced people and the communities hosting them.

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UNHCR relies almost entirely on voluntary contributions. Individual governments and the European Union provide 80 per cent of our budget. Another 15 per cent comes from individuals and the private sector, including foundations, corporations and the public. Even so, UNHCR typically receives just over half the money it needs each year.

UNHCR stands for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also known as the UN Refugee Agency. It was created in 1950 to help millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes during the Second World War. Today, UNHCR protects and assists millions of displaced and stateless people around the world.

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We protect and assist refugees in many different ways. In emergencies, we provide physical protection from violence, individual documentation, counseling and the most basic needs, like shelter, water, food, health care. We also try to safeguard their fundamental human rights in their countries of asylum, including by supporting their integration in national programmes and services. Longer-term, we work to ensure that refugees won’t be sent back against their will to a country where they could face persecution. We also support them to resettle in third countries or repatriate voluntarily to their homeland when it is safe.

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World Refugee Day is held on 20 June each year. It is an international day designated by the United Nations to showcase the rights, needs, hopes and contributions of refugees throughout the world.

Learn how you can get involved in World Refugee Day 

Visit UNHCR’s Careers Portal to find information about current job opportunities, including staff positions, consultancies and temporary appointments. 

View UNHCR’s Careers Portal

Internships at UNHCR are offered at various locations depending on the needs and capacity of offices to receive and supervise interns and provide them with meaningful assignments. An internship can begin at any time during the year and lasts typically two to six months.

Visit our Internships page to learn more

Tackling sexual exploitation and abuse against the people we serve, together with sexual harassment in the workplace, is a top priority for UNHCR. Our position is clear and has been reiterated on a number of occasions by our High Commissioner: sexual misconduct is unjustifiable and must be eradicated from UNHCR operations.

UNHCR has a well-established, effective safeguarding team, with a global remit, which includes the Inspector General's Office, the Ethics Office, the Legal Affairs Service and the Staff Welfare Services, among others.

Learn more about the actions we are taking to tackle sexual misconduct