Refugees are people who have been forced to run away from their country.
Sometimes this is due to threats, sometimes because there is a war or other conflict and people are in danger. There are many reasons for leaving race, religion, political beliefs and social standing may all play a part. Refugees are different from migrants. Migrants make a voluntary choice to leave home to move to another country and they can make plans for their departure. In 1993 it was estimated by the United Nations that there were 18.2 million refugees throughout the world.