According to the UN, 2025 marks 117.3 million refugees fleeing from their homes, families, and countries.
This statistic is not so much a negative mark against the nations hosting refugees. Most countries have achieved positive economic growth by positively integrating refugees as a productive workforce and even addressing a labor shortage.
It is easy to only think of the struggles refugees face as humanitarian and security risks. This is an incomplete view that ignores the broad economic, social, and human rights aspects of the refugee crisis. The refugee experience is so often characterized by the unfortunate fact that there is no way for them to return home.
For the refugees, shrinking employment opportunities and a weakening of human rights protections are just examples of the impact caused by internal turmoil.
Refugees are proven to positively impact host countries’ economies when provided with fundamental human rights like the ability to work, go to school, and receive healthcare. Acceptance of refugees does not have to burden the host country’s economy.
As of December 2025, The most recent host countries with the most refugees include Colombia, Germany, Turkey, Iran, and Uganda.
It is clear from the information that the impact refugees produce is more nuanced than the sheer number that arrive. The most relevant factor seems to be how the host country manages their legal status, as well as their access to work and basic needs.
The Case of Colombia
The case of Colombia is a good example of how government discretion determines the ability of refugees to participate in the economy.
According to the UNHCR, 1,900,000 of 2,900,000 Venezuelan refugees in Colombia were expected to receive temporary protection permits by the end of 2024, thus ensuring inclusivity. As a result, they were able to legally stay, work, go to school, and use the health facilities.
Source UNHCR, Colombia Strategy 2023–2026.
Colombia’s economy has grown by 1.5% in 2024 and is expected to increase by 2.6% in 2025, with a projected growth of 2.6% for 2026, according to the World Bank.
While the economic growth cannot be attributed solely to the Venezuelan refugees and migrants, the UNHCR and the World Bank remain optimistic that economic growth for Colombia during 2017–2030 would be in the range of 0.10-0.25% per year, as a result of an increased supply of labor and enhanced human capital, due to the influx of refugees.
Source: IMF, Regional Spillovers from the Venezuelan Crisis.
It is clear that if integrated properly into the labor market and public service systems, refugees and migrants can be active participants in the host country’s economy.
From the information above, refugees can become economically active members of society when they receive legal status, job opportunities, and access to social services. Once they have the legal status, they can work, earn, and spend money, and create small businesses, and use their skills in the job market all while paying taxes.
Refugees are ordinary people who have lost the means to live normal and safe lives in their homecountries and are not a criminal element, threatening society or security.
