At 31 December 1994, Northern South America and the Caribbean hosted a population of some 5,900 refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly Haitians, Cubans and Africans. Indeed, initial estimates in 1995 put the figure at closer to 10,500. Further clarifications will continue to be made throughout the year as each country's statistics are re-evaluated. The largest number of Haitian refugees is in the Dominican Republic whereas Cuban refugees are mainly to be found in Venezuela and the Bahamas. All the African refugees, mainly Western Saharans and Sudanese, are located in Cuba.
Most refugees are of urban origin and live in or around the capital cities.
Over half of the total refugee population are men, women account for 22 per cent and children 25 per cent. Their level of education ranges from primary schooling to university. The restoration in October 1994, under international supervision, of the democratically elected regime of Jean-Bertrand Aristide made possible the repatriation of large numbers of Haitian exiles, the majority from the Dominican Republic. The change of regime also led some countries of the region to forcibly repatriate Haitian nationals residing without legal status in their territories. The foremost of these involuntary repatriations was from the Bahamas, whose Government concluded an agreement to this effect with the Government of Haiti in early 1995.