Refugees ,Asylees,

And ImmigrantsWorldwide

Refugee:

One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or

religious persecution.

Nations With the Greatest Number of RefugeesNational Refugee Population End-2000

332,510414,930427,210484,390508,220

680,860

906,000

1,868,0002,001,470

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

Pakistan Iran Germany Tanzania UnitedStates

Yugoslavia Guinea Sudan DemocraticRepublic of

Congo

Nations with the Greatest Concentration of Refugees

Refugees Per 1000 Inhabitants

14.2

26.7

11

19.4

1.8

45.9

52.4

13.3

40.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

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 EuropeNational Refugee Population

0

75000

150000

225000

300000

375000

450000

525000

600000

675000

750000

825000

900000

Country

Nu

mb

er o

f R

efu

gee

s

Concentration of Refugees in EuropeRefugees per 1000 inhabitants

3.72.4

0.4

2.6

11

0.6 0.7 0.4 0.7

9.2

0 0.2

17.8

2.9

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

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

Industrialized Countries with the Greatest Number of Asylum Applicants

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001Year

Num

ber

of A

ssyl

um A

pplic

ants

Australia

Canada

Japan

New Zealand

United States

Austria

Belgium

France

Germany

Netherlands

Sweeden

United Kingdom

National Origin of Asylum Seekers in Industrialized Countries

Origin of Asylum Seekers in Industrialized Countries, Jan.-June 2002

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Iraq

Afghanistan

Turkey

Yugoslavia

China

Russia

Colom

bia

Mexico

Congo

India

Nigeria

Iran

Somalia

Algeria

Sri Lanka

Pakistan

Armenia

Angola

Georgia

Bosnia

Country of Origin

Num

ber o

f Ass

ylum

See

kers

National Origin of Asylum Seekers in Europe Over Time

Origin of Asylum Applicants Arriving in the European Union

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

1999 2000 2001

Years

Nu

mb

er o

f A

pp

lica

nts

Yugoslavia

Iraq

Turkey

Afghanistan

Somalia

Iran

Russian Federation

Sri Lanka

Immigrant:

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

OECD Countries Receiving the Most ImmigrantsInflow of Foreign Population

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1998 1999 2000

Nu

mb

er

of

Imm

igra

nts

, In

Th

ou

sa

nd

s

USA*

Germany

Japan

UK

Italy

Canada*

France

Notes: * = Permanent inflows

Immigrant Remittances in 2001

Nations that Received the Greatest Dollar Amount in Remittances Sent Home in 2001

01,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,0008,0009,000

10,00011,000

In M

illi

on

s o

f D

oll

ars

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

Remittances as a Percentage of a Nation's GDP, 2001

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

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 PopulationAccording 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.

Total inflow of Foreign Population to Selected OECD Countries Over Time

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Nu

mb

er

of

Imm

igra

nts

in

Th

ou

sa

nd

s

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