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Refugee Protection Home > Refugee Protection


According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ estimates, there were about 42 million forcibly displaced people worldwide by the end of 2008. They included 15.2 million refugees, 827,000 asylum-seekers and 26 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). The concept of refugees as people fleeing persecution is central to efforts to aid and protect them. For decades, national governments and international agencies have been actively engaged in discussions of international policy issues having to do with refugees, asylum seekers, and related populations. Use our research and data tools to learn more about where refugees and asylum seekers flee from and where they seek safe haven.

Visit MPI’s Refugee Protection Program and the Migration Information Source for the most up-to-date research and policy papers on humanitarian protection.