In pics: All you need to know about UN's list of forcibly displaced persons

According to the United Nations, 20 people leave everything behind every minute to escape war, persecution or terror

1 / 5

A refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”, according to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. Many refugees are in exile to escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters.

2 / 5

Asylum seekers say they are refugees and have fled their homes as refugees do, but their claim to refugee status is not yet definitively evaluated in the country to which they fled.

3 / 5

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are those who have not crossed an international border but have moved to a different region than the one they call home within their own country.

4 / 5

Stateless persons do not have a recognised nationality and do not belong to any country. Statelessness is usually caused by discrimination against certain groups. Their lack of identification — a citizenship certificate — can exclude them from access to important government services, including health care, education or employment.

5 / 5

Returnees are former refugees who get back to their own countries or regions of origin after spending time in exile. Returnees need continuous support and reintegration assistance to ensure that they can rebuild their lives at home.