Refugees by country of origin — all countries

Refugees by country of origin — World

Refugees by country of origin in the world in 2024 — 30,685,902 people. Since 1994, the indicator has risen by 121.6%.

2024 30.69M people −2.16% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 31.36M people2023
Period minimum 8.25M people2005

Trend over time

1994–2024 · people

Refugees by country of origin — World, 1994–2024010M20M30M40M199419972000200320062009201220152018202120241994: 13,846,229 people1995: 12,597,154 people1996: 11,796,351 people1997: 10,798,687 people1998: 10,266,186 people1999: 10,244,569 people2000: 10,835,562 people2001: 10,844,654 people2002: 9,941,068 people2003: 8,941,598 people2004: 8,950,588 people2005: 8,251,618 people2006: 9,424,467 people2007: 10,997,020 people2008: 10,078,044 people2009: 9,977,456 people2010: 10,166,436 people2011: 10,063,981 people2012: 10,170,615 people2013: 11,507,028 people2014: 14,194,430 people2015: 15,899,032 people2016: 16,946,329 people2017: 19,638,228 people2018: 20,041,334 people2019: 20,118,943 people2020: 20,381,494 people2021: 20,822,338 people2022: 29,231,230 people2023: 31,363,532 people2024: 30,685,902 people
Change over the period: +16.84M (+121.62%) Average annual rate: 2.69 %

Comparison, 2024

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

World 30.69M people
World computed 30.69M people
Refugees by country of origin — World, by year World All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2024 30.69M −677,630 −2.16%
2023 31.36M +2.13M +7.29%
2022 29.23M +8.41M +40.38%
2021 20.82M +440,844 +2.16%
2020 20.38M +262,551 +1.3%
2019 20.12M +77,609 +0.39%
2018 20.04M +403,106 +2.05%
2017 19.64M +2.69M +15.88%
2016 16.95M +1.05M +6.59%
2015 15.9M +1.7M +12.01%
2014 14.19M +2.69M +23.35%
2013 11.51M +1.34M +13.14%
2012 10.17M +106,634 +1.06%
2011 10.06M −102,455 −1.01%
2010 10.17M +188,980 +1.89%
2009 9.98M −100,588 −1%
2008 10.08M −918,976 −8.36%
2007 11M +1.57M +16.69%
2006 9.42M +1.17M +14.21%
2005 8.25M −698,970 −7.81%
2004 8.95M +8,990 +0.1%
2003 8.94M −999,470 −10.05%
2002 9.94M −903,586 −8.33%
2001 10.84M +9,092 +0.08%
2000 10.84M +590,993 +5.77%
1999 10.24M −21,617 −0.21%
1998 10.27M −532,501 −4.93%
1997 10.8M −997,664 −8.46%
1996 11.8M −800,803 −6.36%
1995 12.6M −1.25M −9.02%
1994 13.85M

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.