Forcibly displaced people in Switzerland
Switzerland: Forcibly displaced people was 225,326 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in Switzerland, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 225,326 for forcibly displaced people in 2025. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.7% on the previous year and up 112.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Switzerland peaked at 225,326 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 61,697, in 2010.
That places Switzerland 60th out of 180 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Forcibly displaced people in Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 61,697 | — |
| 2011 | 67,294 | +9.1% |
| 2012 | 72,403 | +7.6% |
| 2013 | 74,535 | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 83,401 | +11.9% |
| 2015 | 106,017 | +27.1% |
| 2016 | 113,446 | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 116,758 | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 118,787 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 121,362 | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 122,345 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 125,938 | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 197,378 | +56.7% |
| 2023 | 211,391 | +7.1% |
| 2024 | 213,177 | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 225,326 | +5.7% |
Switzerland compared with similar countries
- Switzerland's 225,326 is above the median for high income countries, which is 51,316, 4.4× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Switzerland's 225,326 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 115,499, 2.0× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forcibly displaced people in Switzerland 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +56.7% | 125,938 | 197,378 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 93,570 | 61,697 | 121,362 | 10 |
| 2020s | 182,592 | 122,345 | 225,326 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
More social development data for Switzerland
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 208,287 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0229 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forcibly displaced people in Switzerland?
- Forcibly displaced people in Switzerland was 225,326 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 225,326 in 2025.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 61,697 in 2010.
- How does Switzerland rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Switzerland ranks 60th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 112.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Switzerland 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 — 16 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.