South Africa Refugee Statistics 1993-2023
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 Africa refugee statistics for 2021 was 75,512.00, a 1.59% decline from 2020.
- South Africa refugee statistics for 2020 was 76,729.00, a 2.13% decline from 2019.
- South Africa refugee statistics for 2019 was 78,395.00, a 12.2% decline from 2018.
- South Africa refugee statistics for 2018 was 89,285.00, a 0.67% increase from 2017.
| Similar Country Ranking |
| Country Name |
Refugees Granted Asylum |
| Turkey |
3,759,817.00 |
| Jordan |
3,047,612.00 |
| Lebanon |
1,328,541.00 |
| Iran |
798,343.00 |
| China |
303,436.00 |
| Iraq |
280,072.00 |
| Malaysia |
132,086.00 |
| Thailand |
100,510.00 |
| Algeria |
97,890.00 |
| South Africa |
75,512.00 |
| Mexico |
73,448.00 |
| Brazil |
61,956.00 |
| Ecuador |
56,603.00 |
| Venezuela |
39,328.00 |
| Armenia |
34,728.00 |
| Serbia |
25,644.00 |
| Bulgaria |
22,830.00 |
| Russia |
10,901.00 |
| Costa Rica |
10,224.00 |
| Peru |
5,790.00 |
| Paraguay |
4,484.00 |
| Romania |
4,200.00 |
| Namibia |
3,733.00 |
| Libya |
3,141.00 |
| Belarus |
2,729.00 |
| Azerbaijan |
1,676.00 |
| Colombia |
1,504.00 |
| Nauru |
953.00 |
| Botswana |
688.00 |
| Guatemala |
479.00 |
| Kazakhstan |
352.00 |
| North Macedonia |
292.00 |
| Gabon |
272.00 |
| Bosnia |
240.00 |
| Cuba |
199.00 |
| Montenegro |
175.00 |
| Dominican Republic |
162.00 |
| Albania |
109.00 |
| Belize |
86.00 |
| Guyana |
40.00 |
| Jamaica |
31.00 |
| Suriname |
29.00 |
| Fiji |
18.00 |
| Turkmenistan |
16.00 |
| Mauritius |
10.00 |
| South Africa Refugee Statistics - Historical Data |
| Year |
Refugees Granted Asylum |
Annual % Change |
| 2021 |
75,512.00 |
-1.59% |
| 2020 |
76,729.00 |
-2.13% |
| 2019 |
78,395.00 |
-12.20% |
| 2018 |
89,285.00 |
0.67% |
| 2017 |
88,694.00 |
-2.55% |
| 2016 |
91,018.00 |
-25.17% |
| 2015 |
121,635.00 |
8.43% |
| 2014 |
112,182.00 |
70.03% |
| 2013 |
65,976.00 |
1.15% |
| 2012 |
65,225.00 |
12.65% |
| 2011 |
57,899.00 |
0.00% |
| 2010 |
57,899.00 |
20.69% |
| 2009 |
47,972.00 |
10.17% |
| 2008 |
43,542.00 |
18.54% |
| 2007 |
36,732.00 |
4.69% |
| 2006 |
35,086.00 |
18.07% |
| 2005 |
29,716.00 |
7.37% |
| 2004 |
27,675.00 |
4.23% |
| 2003 |
26,552.00 |
13.78% |
| 2002 |
23,336.00 |
25.50% |
| 2001 |
18,594.00 |
23.48% |
| 2000 |
15,058.00 |
3.57% |
| 1999 |
14,539.00 |
73.35% |
| 1998 |
8,387.00 |
23.05% |
| 1997 |
6,816.00 |
-69.90% |
| 1996 |
22,645.00 |
-77.67% |
| 1995 |
101,408.00 |
10.35% |
| 1994 |
91,894.00 |
-63.24% |
| 1993 |
250,000.00 |
-63.24% |
