Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR … gaps filled asylum in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR … gaps filled asylum was 503,732 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 503,732 for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and up 31.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 1.72 million in 1994 and was at its lowest, 65,106, in 2012.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 18th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR … gaps filled asylum in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 150,000 | — |
| 1961 | 203,000 | +35.3% |
| 1962 | 223,000 | +9.9% |
| 1963 | 237,000 | +6.3% |
| 1964 | 236,000 | -0.4% |
| 1965 | 265,000 | +12.3% |
| 1966 | 357,100 | +34.8% |
| 1967 | 434,100 | +21.6% |
| 1968 | 475,400 | +9.5% |
| 1969 | 496,300 | +4.4% |
| 1970 | 489,000 | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 474,250 | -3.0% |
| 1972 | 495,250 | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 460,050 | -7.1% |
| 1974 | 503,250 | +9.4% |
| 1975 | 510,000 | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 515,000 | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 530,300 | +3.0% |
| 1978 | 653,000 | +23.1% |
| 1979 | 710,480 | +8.8% |
| 1980 | 611,110 | -14.0% |
| 1981 | 576,740 | -5.6% |
| 1982 | 497,600 | -13.7% |
| 1983 | 303,500 | -39.0% |
| 1984 | 337,330 | +11.1% |
| 1985 | 283,000 | -16.1% |
| 1986 | 301,230 | +6.4% |
| 1987 | 320,000 | +6.2% |
| 1988 | 340,675 | +6.5% |
| 1989 | 340,689 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 416,435 | +22.2% |
| 1991 | 482,959 | +16.0% |
| 1992 | 391,127 | -19.0% |
| 1993 | 572,070 | +46.3% |
| 1994 | 1.72 million | +201.4% |
| 1995 | 1.43 million | -16.9% |
| 1996 | 675,972 | -52.9% |
| 1997 | 297,536 | -56.0% |
| 1998 | 240,214 | -19.3% |
| 1999 | 285,270 | +18.8% |
| 2000 | 332,509 | +16.6% |
| 2001 | 362,014 | +8.9% |
| 2002 | 332,978 | -8.0% |
| 2003 | 234,033 | -29.7% |
| 2004 | 199,323 | -14.8% |
| 2005 | 204,341 | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 208,371 | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 177,390 | -14.9% |
| 2008 | 155,162 | -12.5% |
| 2009 | 185,809 | +19.8% |
| 2010 | 166,333 | -10.5% |
| 2011 | 152,748 | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 65,106 | -57.4% |
| 2013 | 113,357 | +74.1% |
| 2014 | 119,752 | +5.6% |
| 2015 | 383,095 | +219.9% |
| 2016 | 451,957 | +18.0% |
| 2017 | 537,089 | +18.8% |
| 2018 | 529,065 | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 523,733 | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 490,243 | -6.4% |
| 2021 | 524,148 | +6.9% |
| 2022 | 520,544 | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 523,392 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 517,404 | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 503,732 | -2.6% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 503,732 is above the median for low income countries, which is 45,052, 11.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 503,732 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35,241, 14.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR … gaps filled asylum in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +219.9% | 119,752 | 383,095 |
| 1994 | +201.4% | 572,070 | 1.72 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 307,690 | 150,000 | 496,300 | 10 |
| 1970s | 534,058 | 460,050 | 710,480 | 10 |
| 1980s | 391,187 | 283,000 | 611,110 | 10 |
| 1990s | 651,970 | 240,214 | 1.72 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 239,193 | 155,162 | 362,014 | 10 |
| 2010s | 304,224 | 65,106 | 537,089 | 10 |
| 2020s | 513,244 | 490,243 | 524,148 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More social development data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 503,732 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.18 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 0.0104 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.18 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0045 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 refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Democratic Republic of Congo was 503,732 in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 1.72 million in 1994.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 65,106 in 2012.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 18th out of 179 countries with data for 2025.
- Is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum with 148 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum with 148 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.