Forcibly displaced people in South Sudan
South Sudan: Forcibly displaced people was 1.55 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in South Sudan, 2011–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
South Sudan recorded 1.55 million for forcibly displaced people in 2025.
The figure is up 6.0% on the previous year and down 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in South Sudan peaked at 2.18 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 455,113, in 2011.
South Sudan ranks 24th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Forcibly displaced people in South Sudan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 455,113 | — |
| 2012 | 552,613 | +21.4% |
| 2013 | 612,623 | +10.9% |
| 2014 | 1.75 million | +185.0% |
| 2015 | 1.96 million | +12.3% |
| 2016 | 2.11 million | +7.7% |
| 2017 | 2.18 million | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 2.16 million | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 1.65 million | -23.5% |
| 2020 | 1.75 million | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 1.71 million | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 1.79 million | +4.6% |
| 2023 | 1.51 million | -15.6% |
| 2024 | 1.46 million | -3.0% |
| 2025 | 1.55 million | +6.0% |
South Sudan compared with similar countries
- South Sudan's 1.55 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 762,014, 2.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- South Sudan's 1.55 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70,609, 22.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forcibly displaced people in South Sudan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +185.0% | 612,623 | 1.75 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.49 million | 455,113 | 2.18 million | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.63 million | 1.46 million | 1.79 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More social development data for South Sudan
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 601,818 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.39 million (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.1958 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2.39 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0494 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2015)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in South Sudan?
- Forcibly displaced people in South Sudan was 1.55 million in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 2.18 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 455,113 in 2011.
- How does South Sudan rank for forcibly displaced people?
- South Sudan ranks 24th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Sudan data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.