Human Geography:

Syrian refugees by the numbers

Friday, January 15, 2016 - 14:32

How many Syrian refugees are there? And how many are adults?

Image: Stock illustration.

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the late New York senator, once said, “You are entitled to your opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.” Exhibit A: The muddled debate over Syrian refugees.

    By way of background: In the summer of 2014, Syria had an estimated population of 17 million, according to the CIA World Factbook. The brutal and ongoing civil conflict in that country has driven many families out.
    During the Republican debate Jan. 14, candidate Donald Trump was asked about his views on allowing asylum seekers into the United States.
    Trump likened the refugees to a “Trojan Horse,” and said, “It could be people that are going to do great, great destruction.”
    He said that there are “very few women. Very few children." But, he added, "strong, powerful men ... and people are looking at that and they're saying what's going on?”
    Trump's answer left the impression that refugees are largely fighting-age men. But numbers compiled by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) paint a different picture:

The numbers: There are 4.6 million registered Syrian refugees. Half are women.
Are there “very few” children? Actually, roughly 40 percent of refugees are boys and girls under the age of 11. An additional 12.7 percent are children and teenagers ages 12 to 17. Together, fully 52 percent are under the age of 17.
How many are adults? 21 percent of the total number are men ages 18 to 59; 24 percent of the total number are women in the same age group.
Seniors: Approximately 3 percent are older than 60.
Should we only worry about the refugees? The number of refugees is just asnapshot of the problem. Still inside Syria are 12.2 million people who need humanitarian assistance, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. An estimated 5.6 million are children.

To know more:

CBS News: Sixth Republican Top-Tier Debate 2016, Fox Business Network.

The CIA: The World Factbook -- Syria

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees [UNHCR].

The United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Related:

A crisis of refugees (not migrants)

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