Forced Migration: Refugees and Internally Displaced People
Forced migration is the movement of people who are compelled to leave their homes by threats such as conflict, persecution, disasters or development projects; refugees are forced migrants who have crossed an international border, while internally displaced people (IDPs) remain within their own country. In brief: under the 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is a person outside their country of origin with a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. An asylum seeker is someone who has applied for protection but whose claim has not yet been decided. Most displaced people never cross a border.
The number of forcibly displaced people has risen in recent years to levels not seen before, and it affects both the countries they leave and the countries that host them. This guide explains the key terms and legal protection, describes the causes and the main displacement patterns, compares the groups in a table, works through example calculations, outlines the history of refugee protection and corrects common mistakes.
Who is a refugee, an asylum seeker or an IDP?
A refugee is a person who has fled their country and cannot return because of a well-founded fear of persecution, as defined in the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Regional agreements in Africa and Latin America widen the definition to include people fleeing generalized violence or conflict. An asylum seeker has asked for protection in another country and is waiting for a decision, and not every asylum seeker is recognized as a refugee. An internally displaced person (IDP) has been forced to flee but remains inside the borders of their own country, and therefore does not have refugee status under international law. A stateless person is not recognized as a citizen by any country.
What causes forced migration?
- Armed conflict and violence: civil wars and wars between countries, such as the war in Syria, which began in 2011, and the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- Persecution: targeting people because of ethnicity, religion, politics or identity, as with the Rohingya who fled Myanmar.
- Disasters and environmental change: floods, earthquakes, storms and droughts, and in the future more sea-level rise. People displaced by disasters are not covered by the Refugee Convention, though they often need help.
- Development-induced displacement: dams, mines and large projects that require people to move, which may be forced if communities are not fairly compensated.
- Trafficking and slavery: people moved against their will, including the historical transatlantic slave trade.
What protection do displaced people have?
The central rule of international refugee law is non-refoulement: a country must not return a person to a place where they face serious threats to life or freedom. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), founded in 1950, helps and protects refugees, with the long-term solutions of voluntary return, local integration in the host country and resettlement in a third country. For IDPs, there are non-binding Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998), and the primary responsibility lies with their own government, which is often a party to the conflict or unable to help.
What are the main patterns and challenges?
Most refugees stay in neighboring countries, and a large share are hosted by low- and middle-income countries, such as Türkiye, Iran, Colombia, Uganda and Pakistan. Many live in camps or settlements, but a lot of them live in cities among the local population. Displacement can last for years: according to UNHCR, a large share of refugees are in protracted situations that have lasted five years or more. Challenges include access to food, shelter, health care and education, legal status and the right to work, safety (particularly for women and children) and the risk of dangerous journeys. Host communities may face pressure on housing, services and jobs, and they often need international support. UNHCR reports that the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide has exceeded 100 million since 2022, a record, and that more than half of them are internally displaced, while refugees make up a smaller part.
Groups of forced migrants compared
| Group | Crossed a border? | Legal status | Main support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refugee | Yes | Protected under the 1951 Convention | Host state, UNHCR |
| Asylum seeker | Yes | Claim pending | Host state |
| Internally displaced person | No | Citizen of own country | Own government, humanitarian agencies |
| Stateless person | Not necessarily | No nationality | UNHCR mandate for statelessness |
Worked example: shares and flows
The numbers are hypothetical, chosen to show how the figures are calculated.
- Share who are IDPs: a conflict displaces 8 million people. Of these, 5.2 million stay inside the country and 2.8 million flee abroad. The IDP share is 5.2 ÷ 8 = 65%, and refugees are 2.8 ÷ 8 = 35%.
- Host burden: a country of 20 million people hosts 1.5 million refugees. The refugees equal 1.5 ÷ 20 = 7.5% of the population, or 75 per 1,000 residents.
- Comparison with a larger host: a country of 80 million hosts 3.2 million refugees, which is 3.2 ÷ 80 = 4%. The smaller country has the larger share, even though it hosts fewer people in total.
- Camp food needs: a camp holds 40,000 people, and each needs about 2,100 kcal per day. The daily need is 40,000 × 2,100 = 84,000,000 kcal, which is 84 million kcal.
- Return rate: if 150,000 of 600,000 refugees return in a year, the return rate is 150,000 ÷ 600,000 = 25%.
How did refugee protection develop?
People have fled persecution throughout history, for example the Huguenots from France in the 17th century. After the First World War, the League of Nations helped refugees from Russia and Armenia, and the Nansen passport gave stateless people travel documents. The Second World War displaced millions in Europe, and the 1951 Refugee Convention, created in that context, originally covered mainly events before 1951 in Europe. The 1967 Protocol removed those limits. Later large crises include the partition of India in 1947, the Vietnamese boat people of the 1970s, the Balkan wars of the 1990s and the Syrian conflict from 2011. Today, debates concern burden-sharing between countries and how to respond to people displaced by climate-related events.
Which mistakes are common?
Mistake 1: Using “refugee” and “migrant” as if they meant the same
Refugees flee danger and cannot safely return. Other migrants usually move by choice, for example for work or study.
Mistake 2: Thinking that most displaced people reach rich countries
Most stay in their own country or in a neighboring country, often in low- and middle-income states.
Mistake 3: Assuming that IDPs have the same legal protection as refugees
IDPs remain under the authority of their own government, and no equivalent of the 1951 Convention exists for them.
Mistake 4: Believing that every asylum seeker is a refugee
An asylum seeker’s claim must be assessed. Some are recognized as refugees, and others are not.