The classic refugee definition. You are outside your country, you have a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of your race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group, and because of that fear you cannot or will not turn to your own country for protection. Danger alone is not enough: it has to connect to one of those five reasons.
96 A Convention refugee is a person who, by reason of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion, (a)is outside each of their countries of nationality and is unable or, by reason of that fear, unwilling to avail themself of the protection of each of those countries; or (b)not having a country of nationality, is outside the country of their former habitual residence and is unable or, by reason of that fear, unwilling to return to that country.