Myths are familiar to each and every one of us. We've all heard this on the news, read it in the tabloids or even had a conversation with someone around the statement. For instance, a sheer 39 per cent of EU residents think immigrants take jobs away from local citizens. But the reality of this is vastly different. We're shedding some light on these popular myths. Myth: Most refugees restart their lives comfortably in new countries Fact: Less than 1% of refugees are resettled into new countries. Resettlement is still a rare phenomenon, even though millions are eligible. If successful, it often takes years, and the journey of starting life anew in a foreign country can be extremely hard, especially in the face of new legal and educational systems, foreign languages and cultural norms. Myth: Most refugees flee to the US, Europe and Australia. Fact: Over 80% of displaced persons are in countries neighbouring the conflict from which they fled. Contrary to common belief and loaded headlines, only a small fraction of resettled refugees are hosted in developed countries. More often they are forced into limbo states, with no legal residency or work status. Myth: The largest refugee camp is a Syrian camp in Jordan. Fact: The Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Bangladesh is the world’s largest refugee camp. While not receiving much global media coverage, Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh hosts over 860,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing ethnic and religious persecution – making it the largest refugee camp in the world, since 2017. Followed by Bidi Bidi camp in Uganda with a population of over 230,000 refugees, and Dadaab camp in Kenya with over 200,000 refugees. Myth: Most refugees are from the Middle East. Fact: The largest groups of refugees are from Venezuela, Syria & Afghanistan. While refugee flows from the Middle East have captured most media attention in recent years, unfortunately, conflict and persecution know no bounds. In 2020, 5.5 million Syrian refugees made up ~25% of the global refugee population. Meanwhile, Venezuela continues to battle one of the largest non-war displacement crisis, with over 5 million people forced to flee economic, political, and humanitarian disaster over the last two years. In addition, many often-overlooked countries actually top the list, such as Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Eritrea. Myth: Refugee influxes ruin economies. Fact: Studies show that refugees can be positive fiscal contributors. The notion that admitting refugees will ruin a host country’s economy is rooted in false economic ideas. Over time, refugees add more value to the economy than the initial cost of resettlement – if they are granted the right to work legally. Moreover, studies show that low-skilled foreign workers and low-skilled domestic workers tend to complement each other, rather than compete. In addition, immigrants tend to have higher entrepreneurial activity compared to natives, with studies finding that two-thirds of US GDP expansion since 2011 can be directly attributed to migration – an economic development trend also observed in Europe and the Middle East. Myth: Refugees and immigrants are taking local jobs Fact: Refugees are adding a net positive to the economy, jobs and the social security system The truth is, that refugees and migrants searching for safe havens and opportunities benefit their host nations’ economies within five years of arrival, suggests an analysis of 30 years of data from 15 countries in Western Europe. Published in 'Science Advances' on June 20, 2018, the study also finds that soon after a spike in migration, the overall strength and sustainability of the country’s economy improves and unemployment rates drop. Myth: Refugees don’t make for good employees. Fact: Refugees can be a long-term economic advantage for companies. Employers say it best: when it comes to refugees, “They come to work and get the job done.” Recent research from the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) highlights that in addition to being hardworking, refugees often stay with their employers for longer and speak a foreign language – a highly desirable skill for any company with global operations. Source: NaTakallam, UN, Fiscal Policy Institue, eurostat | 
