What is Giving Compass?
We connect donors to learning resources and ways to support community-led solutions. Learn more about us.
Here are a few things you should know about the Syrian Refugee Crisis:
Syria’s civil war, which started in 2011, has created the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Half the country’s pre-war population—more than 11 million people—have been killed or forced to flee their homes.
A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. Refugees are entitled to protection under international law.
Syrians are now the largest group of refugees worldwide, making up 32 percent of the world’s 22 million refugees.
About half of all Syrian refugees are children.
Turkey shelters the greatest number of refugees, hosting 2.8 million refugees as of mid-2016. Pakistan, Lebanon, and Iran follow.
In a 2016 poll, 54 percent of registered voters said the United States does not have a responsibility to accept refugees from Syria, while 41 percent said it does.