Rwanda vs South Africa: Forcibly displaced people

Rwanda
131,045
in 2025
South Africa
137,535
in 2025
Rwanda rank
72nd
South Africa rank
71st

Forcibly displaced people over time

  • Rwanda
  • South Africa
0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M201020172025

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 137,535 against 131,045 in Rwanda, a difference of 6,490.

Across all 16 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

Rwanda ranks 72nd and South Africa ranks 71st of 180 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Rwanda South Africa Difference Ahead
2010s 108,301 402,887 294,586 South Africa
2020s 128,564 184,625 56,061 South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher forcibly displaced people, Rwanda or South Africa?
South Africa, at 137,535 against 131,045 in Rwanda as of 2025.
What is the difference in forcibly displaced people between Rwanda and South Africa?
6,490, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and South Africa?
16 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2025.
How do Rwanda and South Africa rank globally for forcibly displaced people?
Rwanda ranks 72nd and South Africa ranks 71st 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.

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Rwanda vs South Africa: Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid, drawing on Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Retrieved 19 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/forcibly-displaced-people/rwanda/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Forcibly displaced people
Source
Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
227 places, 3,518 data points, 2010–2025
Last refreshed

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.