Refugees by country of origin — all countries

Refugees by country of origin — Sub-Saharan Africa

Refugees by country of origin in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024 — 9,702,705 people. Since 1989, the indicator has risen by 108.3%.

2024 9.7M people +11.08% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 9.7M people2024
Period minimum 2.63M people2008

Trend over time

1989–2024 · people

Refugees by country of origin — Sub-Saharan Africa, 1989–202402.5M5M7.5M10M19891993199720012005200920132017202120241989: 4,657,006 people1990: 5,746,955 people1991: 5,169,337 people1992: 5,426,085 people1993: 6,326,108 people1994: 6,746,369 people1995: 5,642,797 people1996: 4,372,770 people1997: 3,549,505 people1998: 3,417,176 people1999: 3,620,009 people2000: 3,770,947 people2001: 3,464,990 people2002: 3,525,607 people2003: 3,312,790 people2004: 3,222,116 people2005: 3,096,591 people2006: 3,040,047 people2007: 2,748,457 people2008: 2,628,416 people2009: 2,666,447 people2010: 2,810,665 people2011: 3,372,163 people2012: 3,535,670 people2013: 3,703,134 people2014: 4,480,091 people2015: 5,234,504 people2016: 6,009,303 people2017: 7,215,770 people2018: 7,243,764 people2019: 7,293,217 people2020: 7,420,246 people2021: 7,824,614 people2022: 7,876,448 people2023: 8,734,495 people2024: 9,702,705 people
Change over the period: +5.05M (+108.35%) Average annual rate: 2.12 %

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa 9.7M people
World computed 30.69M people
Refugees by country of origin — Sub-Saharan Africa, by year Sub-Saharan Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2024 9.7M +968,210 +11.08%
2023 8.73M +858,047 +10.89%
2022 7.88M +51,834 +0.66%
2021 7.82M +404,368 +5.45%
2020 7.42M +127,029 +1.74%
2019 7.29M +49,453 +0.68%
2018 7.24M +27,994 +0.39%
2017 7.22M +1.21M +20.08%
2016 6.01M +774,799 +14.8%
2015 5.23M +754,413 +16.84%
2014 4.48M +776,957 +20.98%
2013 3.7M +167,464 +4.74%
2012 3.54M +163,507 +4.85%
2011 3.37M +561,498 +19.98%
2010 2.81M +144,218 +5.41%
2009 2.67M +38,031 +1.45%
2008 2.63M −120,041 −4.37%
2007 2.75M −291,590 −9.59%
2006 3.04M −56,544 −1.83%
2005 3.1M −125,525 −3.9%
2004 3.22M −90,674 −2.74%
2003 3.31M −212,817 −6.04%
2002 3.53M +60,617 +1.75%
2001 3.46M −305,957 −8.11%
2000 3.77M +150,938 +4.17%
1999 3.62M +202,833 +5.94%
1998 3.42M −132,329 −3.73%
1997 3.55M −823,265 −18.83%
1996 4.37M −1.27M −22.51%
1995 5.64M −1.1M −16.36%
1994 6.75M +420,261 +6.64%
1993 6.33M +900,023 +16.59%
1992 5.43M +256,748 +4.97%
1991 5.17M −577,618 −10.05%
1990 5.75M +1.09M +23.4%
1989 4.66M

About the indicator

The number of refugees originating from a given country, wherever they are located, according to UNHCR. This is the mirror side of the indicator by country of asylum: there people are counted by the place where they found protection, here by the country they left. It is this series that shows the scale of forced exodus, and the largest displacement crises of recent decades are visible in it.

Important: The indicator counts only those who have crossed a border. People displaced inside their own country are not included, although they are usually more numerous — that is separate statistics, kept by the IDMC.

Source: UNHCR Refugee Statistics, license CC BY 4.0.