Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 1.01 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Ethiopia, 1968–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 1.01 million for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in 2025. That is the highest value across all 58 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 37.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Ethiopia peaked at 1.01 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5,400, in 1973.
Ethiopia ranks 7th 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 by country or territory of in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 20,000 | — |
| 1969 | 20,000 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 21,000 | +5.0% |
| 1971 | 22,730 | +8.2% |
| 1972 | 16,200 | -28.7% |
| 1973 | 5,400 | -66.7% |
| 1974 | 5,910 | +9.4% |
| 1975 | 11,150 | +88.7% |
| 1976 | 10,690 | -4.1% |
| 1977 | 10,940 | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 10,930 | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 10,930 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 10,930 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 5,450 | -50.1% |
| 1982 | 5,550 | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 31,370 | +465.2% |
| 1984 | 180,480 | +475.3% |
| 1985 | 180,400 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 132,400 | -26.6% |
| 1987 | 310,500 | +134.5% |
| 1988 | 679,532 | +118.9% |
| 1989 | 710,166 | +4.5% |
| 1990 | 773,764 | +9.0% |
| 1991 | 529,620 | -31.6% |
| 1992 | 431,824 | -18.5% |
| 1993 | 272,632 | -36.9% |
| 1994 | 348,074 | +27.7% |
| 1995 | 393,479 | +13.0% |
| 1996 | 390,528 | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 323,064 | -17.3% |
| 1998 | 262,158 | -18.9% |
| 1999 | 257,683 | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 197,960 | -23.2% |
| 2001 | 152,554 | -22.9% |
| 2002 | 132,939 | -12.9% |
| 2003 | 130,274 | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 115,979 | -11.0% |
| 2005 | 100,813 | -13.1% |
| 2006 | 96,975 | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 85,179 | -12.2% |
| 2008 | 83,573 | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 121,880 | +45.8% |
| 2010 | 154,288 | +26.6% |
| 2011 | 288,839 | +87.2% |
| 2012 | 376,388 | +30.3% |
| 2013 | 433,933 | +15.3% |
| 2014 | 659,520 | +52.0% |
| 2015 | 736,081 | +11.6% |
| 2016 | 791,631 | +7.5% |
| 2017 | 889,412 | +12.4% |
| 2018 | 903,226 | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 733,123 | -18.8% |
| 2020 | 800,454 | +9.2% |
| 2021 | 821,283 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 879,598 | +7.1% |
| 2023 | 979,846 | +11.4% |
| 2024 | 1.01 million | +3.0% |
| 2025 | 1.01 million | +0.2% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 1.01 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 45,052, 22.4× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 1.01 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35,241, 28.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Ethiopia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +475.3% | 31,370 | 180,480 |
| 1983 | +465.2% | 5,550 | 31,370 |
| 1987 | +134.5% | 132,400 | 310,500 |
| 1988 | +118.9% | 310,500 | 679,532 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20,000 | 20,000 | 20,000 | 2 |
| 1970s | 12,588 | 5,400 | 22,730 | 10 |
| 1980s | 224,678 | 5,450 | 710,166 | 10 |
| 1990s | 398,283 | 257,683 | 773,764 | 10 |
| 2000s | 121,813 | 83,573 | 197,960 | 10 |
| 2010s | 596,644 | 154,288 | 903,226 | 10 |
| 2020s | 916,747 | 800,454 | 1.01 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More social development data for Ethiopia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.01 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 164,215 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 164,215 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0075 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 Ethiopia?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Ethiopia was 1.01 million in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.01 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,400 in 1973.
- How does Ethiopia rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- Ethiopia ranks 7th 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 Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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 — 58 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.