According to the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is… [a person who]… owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.

 

Facts & Figures:

Refugees and/or Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Arab Countries (by country of asylum)

- United Nations Refugee Agency ( UNHCR) , 2004

Country Number of Refugees
Algeria 169,048
Djibouti 18,035
Egypt 90,343
Historical Palestine ( Israel) 574
Iraq 46,053
Jordan 1,100
Kuwait 1,519
Lebanon 1,753
Libya 12,166
Mauritania 473
Morocco 2,121
Oman 7
Qatar 46
Saudi Arabia 240,552
Sudan 141,588
Syria 15,604
Tunisia 90
UAE 105
Yemen 66,384
Total 807,561

(Figures are for registered refugees of concern to UNHCR only – Palestinian refugees registered with UNRWA residing in the 5 fields of UNRWA's operations do not fall under the UNHCR mandate)

- CIA World Fact book, 2005:

Country Refugees IDPs
Algeria 102,000 400,000 – 600,000
Egypt 70,245 (Palestinians) 14,904 (Sudanese) -
Historical Palestine ( Israel) - 276,000 (Arab villagers)
Iraq 22,711 (Palestinians) 1,000,000
Jordan 1,827,877 (Palestinians) 168,000 (result of 1967 war)
Lebanon 404,170 (Palestinians) 300,000 (result of civil war)
Saudi Arabia 240,000 (Palestinians) -
Somalia - 405,000
Sudan - 5,300,000 – 6,200,000
Syria 432,048 (Palestinians) 14,391 (Iraqis) 170,000
West Bank & Gaza Strip (OPT) 1,685,851 -
Yemen 63,511 (Somalis) -
Total 4,877,708 8,019,000

Palestinian Refugees

- United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( UNRWA) figures, Dec. 2005

Area Number
West Bank 699,817
Gaza Strip 986,034
Jordan 1,827,877
Lebanon 404,170
Syria 432,048
Total 4,349,946

(Figures are for registered refugees only)

- Badil Resource Center, beginning 2003:

Category of Palestinian refugees Number
Displaced in 1948 and registered with UNRWA 3.97 million
Displaced in 1948 and not registered with UNRWA 1.54 million
Displaced for the first time in 1967 753,000
1948 internally displaced Palestinians 274,000
1967 internally displaced Palestinians 150,000
Total 6.687 million

Estimated number of Arab Refugees and IDPs in the Arab World :

Palestinian registered and unregistered refugees & IDPs (6,687,000) 1
+
Non-Palestinian registered refugees in Arab States (807561) 2
+
Non-Palestinian registered IDPs in Arab States (8,019,000) 3

=
15, 513,561 Arab refugees and IDPs in the Arab World

1 Source: Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights
2 Source: The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
3 Source: CIA World Fact Book