Refugees by country of origin — all countries

Refugees by country of origin — Eastern Africa

Refugees by country of origin in Eastern Africa in 2024 — 4,509,533 people. Since 1979, the indicator has risen by 101.2%.

2024 4.51M people +1.27% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 4.73M people2017
Period minimum 1.18M people2004

Trend over time

1979–2024 · people

Refugees by country of origin — Eastern Africa, 1979–202402M4M6M19791984198919941999200420092014201920241979: 2,241,440 people1989: 3,488,400 people1990: 3,676,037 people1991: 3,495,973 people1992: 3,727,507 people1993: 3,783,245 people1994: 4,221,060 people1995: 3,374,071 people1996: 2,054,174 people1997: 1,705,556 people1998: 1,578,682 people1999: 1,581,506 people2000: 1,643,389 people2001: 1,514,809 people2002: 1,510,519 people2003: 1,243,274 people2004: 1,180,475 people2005: 1,196,795 people2006: 1,264,263 people2007: 1,228,736 people2008: 1,202,668 people2009: 1,216,127 people2010: 1,302,997 people2011: 1,650,244 people2012: 1,794,601 people2013: 1,817,878 people2014: 2,366,054 people2015: 3,013,427 people2016: 3,719,984 people2017: 4,733,823 people2018: 4,504,616 people2019: 4,391,571 people2020: 4,324,628 people2021: 4,402,253 people2022: 4,342,679 people2023: 4,453,009 people2024: 4,509,533 people
Change over the period: +2.27M (+101.19%) Average annual rate: 1.57 %

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Eastern Africa

Eastern Africa 4.51M people
World computed 30.69M people
Refugees by country of origin — Eastern Africa, by year Eastern Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2024 4.51M +56,524 +1.27%
2023 4.45M +110,330 +2.54%
2022 4.34M −59,574 −1.35%
2021 4.4M +77,625 +1.79%
2020 4.32M −66,943 −1.52%
2019 4.39M −113,045 −2.51%
2018 4.5M −229,207 −4.84%
2017 4.73M +1.01M +27.25%
2016 3.72M +706,557 +23.45%
2015 3.01M +647,373 +27.36%
2014 2.37M +548,176 +30.15%
2013 1.82M +23,277 +1.3%
2012 1.79M +144,357 +8.75%
2011 1.65M +347,247 +26.65%
2010 1.3M +86,870 +7.14%
2009 1.22M +13,459 +1.12%
2008 1.2M −26,068 −2.12%
2007 1.23M −35,527 −2.81%
2006 1.26M +67,468 +5.64%
2005 1.2M +16,320 +1.38%
2004 1.18M −62,799 −5.05%
2003 1.24M −267,245 −17.69%
2002 1.51M −4,290 −0.28%
2001 1.51M −128,580 −7.82%
2000 1.64M +61,883 +3.91%
1999 1.58M +2,824 +0.18%
1998 1.58M −126,874 −7.44%
1997 1.71M −348,618 −16.97%
1996 2.05M −1.32M −39.12%
1995 3.37M −846,989 −20.07%
1994 4.22M +437,815 +11.57%
1993 3.78M +55,738 +1.5%
1992 3.73M +231,534 +6.62%
1991 3.5M −180,064 −4.9%
1990 3.68M +187,637 +5.38%
1989 3.49M
1979 2.24M

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.