South Korea Refugee Statistics 1978-2023

Refugees are people who are recognized as refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, people recognized as refugees in accordance with the UNHCR statute, people granted refugee-like humanitarian status, and people provided temporary protection. Asylum seekers--people who have applied for asylum or refugee status and who have not yet received a decision or who are registered as asylum seekers--are excluded. Palestinian refugees are people (and their descendants) whose residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948 and who lost their homes and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. Country of asylum is the country where an asylum claim was filed and granted.
  • South Korea refugee statistics for 2021 was 3,559.00, a 3.37% increase from 2020.
  • South Korea refugee statistics for 2020 was 3,443.00, a 7.73% increase from 2019.
  • South Korea refugee statistics for 2019 was 3,196.00, a 10.59% increase from 2018.
  • South Korea refugee statistics for 2018 was 2,890.00, a 29.13% increase from 2017.
Data Source: World Bank

MLA Citation:
Similar Country Ranking
Country Name Refugees Granted Asylum
Germany 1,255,694.00
France 499,914.00
United States 339,179.00
Sweden 240,854.00
Austria 152,514.00
Italy 144,862.00
United Kingdom 137,078.00
Canada 130,125.00
Spain 122,539.00
Greece 119,650.00
Switzerland 118,829.00
Netherlands 99,585.00
Belgium 74,063.00
Australia 55,606.00
Norway 46,042.00
Denmark 36,023.00
Finland 24,078.00
Cyprus 16,277.00
Ireland 9,571.00
Malta 9,335.00
Luxembourg 6,011.00
Hungary 5,676.00
Poland 4,875.00
Argentina 4,050.00
Trinidad and Tobago 3,571.00
South Korea 3,559.00
Portugal 2,651.00
Panama 2,542.00
Chile 2,065.00
Czech Republic 1,909.00
Lithuania 1,880.00
Iceland 1,830.00
New Zealand 1,794.00
UAE 1,355.00
Israel 1,191.00
Japan 1,132.00
Slovak Republic 1,046.00
Croatia 1,020.00
Uruguay 877.00
Slovenia 839.00
Kuwait 720.00
Latvia 705.00
Saudi Arabia 333.00
Estonia 321.00
Oman 295.00
Hong Kong 271.00
Bahrain 256.00
Qatar 197.00
Liechtenstein 133.00
Cayman Islands 57.00
Monaco 17.00
Bahamas 10.00
Turks and Caicos Islands 7.00
South Korea Refugee Statistics - Historical Data
Year Refugees Granted Asylum Annual % Change
2021 3,559.00 3.37%
2020 3,443.00 7.73%
2019 3,196.00 10.59%
2018 2,890.00 29.13%
2017 2,238.00 24.47%
2016 1,798.00 23.57%
2015 1,455.00 25.00%
2014 1,164.00 112.41%
2013 548.00 12.30%
2012 488.00 25.45%
2011 389.00 10.51%
2010 352.00 39.13%
2009 253.00 56.17%
2008 162.00 50.00%
2007 108.00 20.00%
2006 90.00 47.54%
2005 61.00 64.86%
2004 37.00 85.00%
2003 20.00 33.33%
2002 15.00 200.00%
2001 5.00 0.00%
2000 5.00 0.00%
1999 5.00 0.00%
1997 5.00 0.00%
1996 5.00 0.00%
1995 5.00 -96.64%
1992 149.00 -8.02%
1991 162.00 -29.57%
1990 230.00 0.00%
1989 230.00 91.67%
1988 120.00 100.00%
1987 60.00 -14.29%
1982 70.00 16.67%
1981 60.00 -64.71%
1979 170.00 142.86%
1978 70.00 142.86%