Refugee entrepreneurship survey 2023

Refugee entrepreneurship initiatives (REIs) play a significant role in rebuilding livelihoods and fostering positive social impacts among displaced communities. REIs provide a variety of activities that support people with refugee experiences to create and pursue new business opportunities. REIs have been deployed in camps^[i] and host country settings^[ii] around the world, gaining traction with global agencies, including UNHCR^[iii] and the World Bank^[iv]. Interest in these initiatives has been heightened by the intuitive connection between the global focus on refugee self-reliance and the process of starting a business. However, growth in interest masks the reality that business support for individuals with refugee backgrounds can be complex to bring to life and difficult to scale. Little is known about the collective reach and impacts of these initiatives, both on business related outcomes and on refugees’ personal development. The extent to which REIs typically monitor or estimate reach and impact is also unknown.