Nigeria vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Forcibly displaced people
Forcibly displaced people over time
- Nigeria
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 39.33 million against 3.64 million in Nigeria, a difference of 35.69 million.
That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 10.8 times Nigeria's.
Across all 16 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.
Nigeria ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th of 180 countries.
Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.51 million | 17.14 million | 15.63 million | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2020s | 3.42 million | 36.68 million | 33.26 million | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher forcibly displaced people, Nigeria or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Sub-Saharan Africa, at 39.33 million against 3.64 million in Nigeria as of 2025.
- What is the difference in forcibly displaced people between Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 35.69 million, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 16 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2025.
- How do Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for forcibly displaced people?
- Nigeria ranks 10th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 11th of 180 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.