Refugees , Asylees, And Immigrants Worldwide

Refugee: One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.

Nations With the Greatest Number of Refugees

Nations with the Greatest Concentration of Refugees The number of refugees a nation has is only part of the story. The concentration of refugees varies with the size of the host country’s population. When refugees represent a higher proportion of the nation’s population, the nation feels refugees’ presence and needs more acutely.

Refugees in Europe

Concentration of Refugees in Europe

Asylee: A person in a foreign country or at the port of entry of a foreign country who is found to be unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality, or to seek the protection of his or her country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution. Persecution or the fear thereof must be based on the individual’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.* *Based upon U.S. INS Definition

Countries Receiving the Most Asylum Applicants

National Origin of Asylum Seekers in Industrialized Countries

National Origin of Asylum Seekers in Europe Over Time

Immigrant: A person who comes to a country where they were not born in order to settle there.

OECD Countries Receiving the Most Immigrants Notes: * = Permanent inflows

Immigrant Remittances in 2001 Most immigrants remain connected with their country of origin. Many send part of the money they make back to people in their former country.

Importance of Immigrant Remittances While other countries may have received greater dollar amounts in remittances, other countries depend on remittances more as revealed by the large portion of the GDP that these remittances comprise.

In Sum: Inflow of Foreign Population According to the OECD, during the past decade the number of refugees, asylees, and immigrants moving to just Europe, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia has totaled between 2.5 million to 4 million people annually. In the year 2000, the inflow in foreign population to Europe and the nations listed above was 3,318,000 people strong. In 2000

Sources: Slides 3, 4, 5, 6, 10: “Population Data Unit, UNHCR, Geneva”, European Council on Refugees and Exiles Slide 8: “Population Data Unit, UNHCR, Geneva”, UNHCR Statistics Slide 9: “Asylum Trends in 28 Industrialized Countries”, UNHCR Statistics Slides 12-15: “Trends in International Migration,” OECD/SOPEMI