South Africa vs Sweden: Forcibly displaced people

South Africa
137,535
in 2025
Sweden
148,777
in 2025
South Africa rank
71st
Sweden rank
69th

Forcibly displaced people over time

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

How they compare

Sweden currently reports 148,777 against 137,535 in South Africa, a difference of 11,242.

That makes Sweden's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 16 shared years of data; in 2010 it was South Africa ahead.

South Africa ranks 71st and Sweden ranks 69th of 180 countries.

Across the 2 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and Sweden in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sweden Difference Ahead
2010s 402,887 216,262 186,625 South Africa
2020s 184,625 230,030 45,405 Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher forcibly displaced people, South Africa or Sweden?
Sweden, at 148,777 against 137,535 in South Africa as of 2025.
What is the difference in forcibly displaced people between South Africa and Sweden?
11,242, with Sweden ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sweden?
16 years are reported by both, from 2010 to 2025.
How do South Africa and Sweden rank globally for forcibly displaced people?
South Africa ranks 71st and Sweden ranks 69th 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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South Africa vs Sweden: Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid, drawing on Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/compare/forcibly-displaced-people/south-africa/sweden/

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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.