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. There were also more than 25 million displaced people - that is, people who had been forced to leave their homes but who had not fled to another country. More than 10,000 people every day become refugees. There are refugees in every continent in the world.