Refugees Around the World Regional Assessments, U.S. Admissions Programs and Policy

A refugee is a person fleeing his or her country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) there are approximately 15.4 million refugees in the world. The vast majority of these refugees will receive support in the country to which they fled until they can voluntarily and safely return to their home country. A small number of refugees will be allowed to become citizens in the country to which they fled, and an even smaller number -- primarily those who are at the highest risk -- will be resettled in a third country. While UNHCR reports that less than 1 percent of all refugees are eventually resettled in third countries, the United States welcomes over half of these refugees, more than all other resettlement countries combined. This book provides regional overviews of the refugee situation around the globe, country conditions, data on refugees world-wide and programs for refugee admittance to the United States.