Crisis Zones, a new Human Rights subsection, is a collaborative project by Harbingers’ writers Helena Bruździak and Kexin Shi, launched in March 2025.

Every year, millions of people leave their homes due to conflict, persecution, natural disasters or economic hardship. According to the latest figures (June 2024), an estimated 122.6 million people worldwide are forcibly displaced, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR. And around 47.2 million children are displaced (end 2023), according to UNICEF. 

Who is a refugee?

Refugees are individuals who are forced to flee their country and are unable to return for a range of reasons, typically war, persecution and ethnic, tribal or religious violence.

Determining refugee status is a process whereby a government or UNHCR decides whether an individual meets the legal requirements needed to be recognised as a refugee. Gaining refugee status allows individuals to be protected under international laws – including the right not to be forced to return home. The 1951 UN Refugee Convention also provides rights to healthcare, work, education and freedom of movement.

As of 2024, there are nearly 43.7 million refugees in the world, and 73% of all refugees and other people in need of international protection come from just five countries: Afghanistan, Syria, Venezuela, Ukraine and Sudan.

Who is an asylum seeker?

In theory, anyone can enter another country to seek asylum as it is a basic human right, but in practice it is much more complicated. An asylum seeker is an individual who seeks refuge in another country, but has not yet been legally granted official refugee status. 

According to UNHCR, at the end of June 2024, there were approximately eight million people around the world waiting for a decision on their asylum claims. Not every asylum seeker will be recognized as a refugee.

Who is a migrant?

Migrants do not have a legal definition under international law. These are people who voluntarily choose to leave their homes, temporarily or permanently, because of reasons that vary – from fear of political unrest to wanting to find employment or a better education elsewhere. 

According to the UN Migration Agency’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM), any individual moving from their regular place of residence to a new location, either within a state or across an international boundary is considered a migrant. 

According to the UN’s World Migration Report 2024, in 2020 there were an estimated 281 million international migrants worldwide – that’s 3.6% of the global population. 

Who is an immigrant?

The terms migrant and immigrant do not have a definition in law, and therefore are often used interchangeably. However, an immigrant is usually used to mean someone who decides to move to a new country permanently. 

Many go through a long process of becoming a permanent resident of the country, and some apply for citizenship. Many will learn a new language too.

Who is an IDP?

People who are forced to flee their homes due to danger but remain within their own country are classified as internally displaced people (IDPs). However, if they cross an international border, they are considered refugees.

Although many IDPs face the same difficulties as refugees, they aren’t granted the same rights under international law – ‘internally displaced person’ is a descriptive term, not a legal one. IDPs still have rights, but some governments refuse to uphold them. As a result, this group is among the most vulnerable and has the largest number of displaced individuals.

According to UNHCR, in June 2024, there were 72.1 million IDPs across the world. They represent the majority – 59% – of the world’s forcibly displaced people.