The refugee crisis refers to the difficulties and dangerous situations that emerge when large groups of people flee their home countries. This includes refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people and any other huge group of migrants who seek new lives.

Conflicts and disasters around the world have displaced millions of people. There are now over 84 million forcibly displaced people, including 26.6 million refugees. Some people leave their home countries because they are afraid for their lives – for example, they may be at risk of violence, human rights abuses or lack of food security in places like Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya or Ukraine. Others have been pushed out by economic pressures, political instability or gang violence.

Refugees need protection and support to rebuild their lives. But the majority of wealthy nations are not taking their share of refugees. The system must be rebalanced to allow more low- and middle-income countries to take in refugees. In addition, all countries must increase their funding and support for people in need inside their borders.

Some host governments view displaced people as a threat to their stability, especially when they share ethnic or religious characteristics with local populations in conflict. This can lead to destabilization and curtailment of refugee protection measures. But there are ways to address this, such as through local integration and resettlement.