Forced, not chosen
Displacement is rarely a single event — it's usually the last option after violence, persecution, or disaster makes staying impossible. Most refugees hope to return home one day.
The 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone with a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group.
Refugee vs. asylum seeker vs. IDP
A refugee has crossed an international border. An asylum seeker has applied for protection but their claim hasn't been decided yet. An internally displaced person (IDP) has fled but remains inside their own country's borders.
The scale today
Conflict, persecution, and climate-driven disaster have pushed global displacement past 100 million people. Most are hosted by neighboring low- and middle-income countries, not wealthy ones.