Celebrating 5 popular stars you may not know were refugees

The United Nations and more than 100 countries have observed World Refugee Day annually on June 20 since 2001.

According to the UNHCR, there are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people around the world.

In the same vein, the United Nations says thousands of families around the world are forced to flee for their lives every day to seek refuge in peaceful countries.

As the world celebrates 2018 World Refugee Day, Business Insider Sub Saharan Africa looks at 5 popular stars who were refugees but have gone ahead to leave their mark in their respective field.

Victor Moses

Nigerian born footballer, Victor Moses is an orphaned refugee who had to rebuild his life in the United Kingdom before he could follow his dream of becoming a professional footballer. At just 11, Moses had to move from Nigeria to England as an orphaned refugee.

Sadio Berahino

In a similar occurrence, Stoke City footballer, Sadio Berahino arrived in Britain at the young age of 10 after his father was killed during the Burundi civil war. He had since remained in the country where he followed his dream of becoming a professional football.

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury died in 1991 as a British singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Mercury was actually born in Stone town of Zanzibar, Tanzania but fled the African country during the 1964 revolution when he was just 17. Mercury was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range.

Iman

From the depth of Mogadishu in Somalia comes renowned supermodel, Iman who had to seek refuge in Kenya after she was forced to flee war-torn Somalia with her family in 1972. Born Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid, the American fashion model broke barriers as actress, entrepreneur, and pioneer in the ethnic-cosmetics market, long before the emergence of Naomi Campbell.

Luol Deng

Luol Ajou Deng was born in Sudan but had to flee the war-torn country as a five-year-old seeking refugee in the United Kingdom where he found solace in London. The basketball star pursued a career in basketball to become a household name in the United States playing for the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.

World Refugees Day statistics

The world’s largest refugee camp is located in Dadaab, Kenya, which is home to more than 329,000 people.

There are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people around the world.

On average, 42,500 people per day flee their homes to seek protection within the borders of their own country or other countries.

Of the 20 million refugees worldwide, 51% are under the age of 18.

The civil war in Syria has led to one of the worst humanitarian crises of our lives with more than 11 million currently displaced - the number amounts to 45% of the Syrian population.

86% of the world's refugees are hosted by developing countries.