Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Korea

Korea: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 4,407 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
4,407
Change on year
up 3.9%
World rank
107th
of 179 countries
All-time high
4,407
in 2025
All-time low
5
in 1995
Years of data
44
1978–2025

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Korea, 1978–2025

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1978200120251978: 701979: 1701980: 1151981: 601982: 701987: 601988: 1201989: 2301990: 2301991: 1621992: 1491993: 1011994: 531995: 51996: 51997: 51998: 51999: 52000: 52001: 52002: 152003: 202004: 372005: 612006: 902007: 1082008: 1622009: 2532010: 3522011: 3892012: 4882013: 5482014: 1.2k2015: 1.5k2016: 1.8k2017: 2.2k2018: 2.9k2019: 3.2k2020: 3.4k2021: 3.6k2022: 3.8k2023: 4.1k2024: 4.2k2025: 4.4k

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

In 2025, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Korea stood at 4,407. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 202.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Korea peaked at 4,407 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5, in 1995.

Korea ranks 107th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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 Korea, year by year

Annual values for Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled in Korea, 1978 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1978 70
1979 170 +142.9%
1980 115 -32.4%
1981 60 -47.8%
1982 70 +16.7%
1987 60 -14.3%
1988 120 +100.0%
1989 230 +91.7%
1990 230 +0.0%
1991 162 -29.6%
1992 149 -8.0%
1993 101 -32.2%
1994 53 -47.5%
1995 5 -90.6%
1996 5 +0.0%
1997 5 +0.0%
1998 5 +0.0%
1999 5 +0.0%
2000 5 +0.0%
2001 5 +0.0%
2002 15 +200.0%
2003 20 +33.3%
2004 37 +85.0%
2005 61 +64.9%
2006 90 +47.5%
2007 108 +20.0%
2008 162 +50.0%
2009 253 +56.2%
2010 352 +39.1%
2011 389 +10.5%
2012 488 +25.4%
2013 548 +12.3%
2014 1,164 +112.4%
2015 1,455 +25.0%
2016 1,798 +23.6%
2017 2,238 +24.5%
2018 2,890 +29.1%
2019 3,196 +10.6%
2020 3,443 +7.7%
2021 3,559 +3.4%
2022 3,825 +7.5%
2023 4,053 +6.0%
2024 4,241 +4.6%
2025 4,407 +3.9%

Korea compared with similar countries

  • Korea's 4,407 is below the median for high income countries, which is 12,513, 35% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
  • Korea's 4,407 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 155, 28.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Korea 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.

YearChange FromTo
2002 +200.0% 5 15

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 120 70 170 2
1980s 109.17 60 230 6
1990s 72 5 230 10
2000s 75.6 5 253 10
2010s 1,452 352 3,196 10
2020s 3,921 3,443 4,407 6

Countries ranked near Korea

  1. 104 Argentina 4,941 compare
  2. 105 Albania 4,673 compare
  3. 106 Paraguay 4,621 compare
  4. 108 Kazakhstan 4,377 compare
  5. 109 Gambia 4,108 compare
  6. 110 Uruguay 3,195 compare

See the full ranking of 226 places →

More social development data for Korea

All data for Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Korea?
Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Korea was 4,407 in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Korea?
The highest recorded value was 4,407 in 2025.
What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 5 in 1995.
How does Korea rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
Korea ranks 107th 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 Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 202.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Korea 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.

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Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/refugees-under-the-mandate-of-the-unhcr-by-country-or-territory-of-asylum-gaps-filled/korea-rep/

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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

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

Indicator
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
226 places, 10,579 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.