John Elflein
Research expert covering health and health care
Refugee, migrant, and immigrant health worldwide - Statistics & Facts
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are currently around one billion migrants worldwide, including refugees and immigrants, which translates to around one in eight of the global population. In 2023, it was estimated that there were 30.5 million refugees under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) mandate, as well as 57 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). The reasons why people move from one place to another are complex and varied. Refugees, for example, are unable to return to their home country out of fear of prosecution and risks to their safety because of their race, religion, nationality, or political affiliations. As of 2022, the countries that produced the most refugees were Syria, Ukraine, and Afghanistan. Many migrants on the other hand leave their country to find better work, to study, or to join family. However, no matter the reason, refugees, migrants, and immigrants often face poor living and working conditions that put them at risk for various negative health outcomes. Refugees and migrants in particular are very vulnerable to both physical and mental health problems.
The dangers of migration for refugees
Migrating for many refugees is a dangerous and even deadly act. Many refugees make long journeys with little support and few supplies, often at the mercy of human traffickers and harsh elements. In 2023, it was estimated that around 6,802 migrants died or went missing worldwide while they were in the process of migrating. The highest number of deaths among migrants during migration occurs in the Mediterranean where some 28,800 people died or went missing from 2014 to January 2024. The most common cause of death among migrants during migration is drowning, followed by vehicle accidents or deaths linked to hazardous transport, and violence. However, health risks and dangers for refugees and migrants do not stop once they have reached their destination as they are often housed in refugee camps or settlements in which living conditions can be poor and unsafe.Health in refugee camps and settlements
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 22 percent of refugees worldwide live in refugee camps, including planned and managed camps and self-settled camps, totaling around 6.6 million people. The largest refugee camps in the world are found in Bangladesh, Uganda, and Kenya. According to a report published in 2022 by the UNHCR that looked at 172 refugee camps/settlements across 21 countries that hosted over five million refugees, the crude mortality rate in refugee camps/settlements is around .24 per 1,000 population per month. The leading causes of death in these camps are neonatal conditions, malaria, and lower respiratory tract infections. In 2022, neonatal conditions accounted for around 11 percent of all deaths in the refugee camps/settlements included in the UNHCR report, while malaria accounted for nine percent of deaths. Disease outbreaks are always a concern in such conditions and in 2022 around 14 countries reported measles outbreaks that affected refugee camps/settlements, while eight reported cholera outbreaks.The health of immigrants in the United States
An immigrant is a person who has been given permanent residence in another country. Although most immigrants do not go through the harrowing journey a lot of refugees must make, immigrants around the world often face unequal health outcomes compared to the native population due to economic and social inequalities, and discrimination. For example, in the United States around 18 percent of lawfully present immigrants do not have health insurance compared to eight percent of U.S.-born citizens. Furthermore, around 20 percent of immigrants in the United States report that they or someone in their household has had problems paying for healthcare in the past 12 months as of 2023, with this figure reaching 30 percent among Black immigrants. Around a quarter of immigrants in the United States also report that they have been treated differently or unfairly by a doctor or health provider since coming to the country, with this share highest among Black immigrants. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), data collected from 84 countries found that between 2018 and 2021, in around half of countries migrants had the same access to all health services as citizens regardless of migration status. However, in 37 percent of countries access to all health services was dependent on migration status, and in eight percent migrants could only access emergency health services.
