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

Pakistan: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 2.58 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.58 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 14.0%
World rank
24th
of 179 countries
All-time high
4.25 units per square kilometre
in 1989
All-time low
0.5189 units per square kilometre
in 1979
Years of data
45
1979–2023

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Pakistan, 1979–2023

12341979200120231979: 0.519 units per square kilometre1980: 1.9 units per square kilometre1981: 3.1 units per square kilometre1982: 3.7 units per square kilometre1983: 3.8 units per square kilometre1984: 3.2 units per square kilometre1985: 3.5 units per square kilometre1986: 3.7 units per square kilometre1987: 4.1 units per square kilometre1988: 4.2 units per square kilometre1989: 4.2 units per square kilometre1990: 4.2 units per square kilometre1991: 4 units per square kilometre1992: 2.1 units per square kilometre1993: 1.9 units per square kilometre1994: 1.4 units per square kilometre1995: 1.6 units per square kilometre1996: 1.6 units per square kilometre1997: 1.6 units per square kilometre1998: 1.6 units per square kilometre1999: 1.6 units per square kilometre2000: 2.6 units per square kilometre2001: 2.9 units per square kilometre2002: 1.6 units per square kilometre2003: 1.5 units per square kilometre2004: 1.7 units per square kilometre2005: 1.4 units per square kilometre2006: 1.4 units per square kilometre2007: 2.6 units per square kilometre2008: 2.3 units per square kilometre2009: 2.3 units per square kilometre2010: 2.5 units per square kilometre2011: 2.2 units per square kilometre2012: 2.1 units per square kilometre2013: 2.1 units per square kilometre2014: 2 units per square kilometre2015: 2 units per square kilometre2016: 1.8 units per square kilometre2017: 1.8 units per square kilometre2018: 1.8 units per square kilometre2019: 1.8 units per square kilometre2020: 1.9 units per square kilometre2021: 1.9 units per square kilometre2022: 2.3 units per square kilometre2023: 2.6 units per square kilometre

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.

Analysis

Pakistan recorded 2.58 units per square kilometre for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in 2023.

That represents a change of up 14.0% on the previous year and up 23.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Pakistan peaked at 4.25 units per square kilometre in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.5189 units per square kilometre, in 1979.

Pakistan ranks 24th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Pakistan, year by year

Annual values for Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, per square kilometre in Pakistan, 1979 to 2023.
Year units per square kilometre Change
1979 0.5189 units per square kilometre
1980 1.85 units per square kilometre +257.1%
1981 3.08 units per square kilometre +66.3%
1982 3.73 units per square kilometre +21.1%
1983 3.76 units per square kilometre +0.8%
1984 3.24 units per square kilometre -13.8%
1985 3.54 units per square kilometre +9.3%
1986 3.74 units per square kilometre +5.5%
1987 4.1 units per square kilometre +9.6%
1988 4.23 units per square kilometre +3.1%
1989 4.25 units per square kilometre +0.6%
1990 4.22 units per square kilometre -0.6%
1991 4.02 units per square kilometre -4.8%
1992 2.11 units per square kilometre -47.4%
1993 1.92 units per square kilometre -9.2%
1994 1.37 units per square kilometre -28.7%
1995 1.56 units per square kilometre +13.9%
1996 1.56 units per square kilometre +0.0%
1997 1.56 units per square kilometre +0.0%
1998 1.56 units per square kilometre -0.0%
1999 1.56 units per square kilometre -0.0%
2000 2.6 units per square kilometre +66.5%
2001 2.85 units per square kilometre +9.9%
2002 1.59 units per square kilometre -44.2%
2003 1.46 units per square kilometre -8.4%
2004 1.67 units per square kilometre +14.8%
2005 1.41 units per square kilometre -16.0%
2006 1.35 units per square kilometre -3.7%
2007 2.64 units per square kilometre +94.8%
2008 2.31 units per square kilometre -12.5%
2009 2.26 units per square kilometre -2.3%
2010 2.47 units per square kilometre +9.2%
2011 2.21 units per square kilometre -10.4%
2012 2.13 units per square kilometre -3.8%
2013 2.1 units per square kilometre -1.3%
2014 1.95 units per square kilometre -6.9%
2015 2.03 units per square kilometre +3.7%
2016 1.75 units per square kilometre -13.4%
2017 1.81 units per square kilometre +3.0%
2018 1.82 units per square kilometre +0.8%
2019 1.84 units per square kilometre +1.1%
2020 1.87 units per square kilometre +1.4%
2021 1.93 units per square kilometre +3.6%
2022 2.26 units per square kilometre +16.9%
2023 2.58 units per square kilometre +14.0%

Pakistan compared with similar countries

  • Pakistan's 2.58 units per square kilometre is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.0286 units per square kilometre, 90.2× the median. (42 countries reporting)
  • Pakistan's 2.58 units per square kilometre is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.0612 units per square kilometre, 42.1× 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 Pakistan 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
1980 +257.1% 0.5189 units per square kilometre 1.85 units per square kilometre
2007 +94.8% 1.35 units per square kilometre 2.64 units per square kilometre

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.5189 units per square kilometre 0.5189 units per square kilometre 0.5189 units per square kilometre 1
1980s 3.55 units per square kilometre 1.85 units per square kilometre 4.25 units per square kilometre 10
1990s 2.14 units per square kilometre 1.37 units per square kilometre 4.22 units per square kilometre 10
2000s 2.01 units per square kilometre 1.35 units per square kilometre 2.85 units per square kilometre 10
2010s 2.01 units per square kilometre 1.75 units per square kilometre 2.47 units per square kilometre 10
2020s 2.16 units per square kilometre 1.87 units per square kilometre 2.58 units per square kilometre 4

Countries ranked near Pakistan

  1. 21 Poland 3.17 units per square kilometre compare
  2. 22 Austria 3.12 units per square kilometre compare
  3. 23 Slovakia 2.64 units per square kilometre compare
  4. 25 Iran, Islamic Republic of 2.32 units per square kilometre compare
  5. 26 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1.85 units per square kilometre compare
  6. 27 Denmark 1.72 units per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 226 places →

More social development data for Pakistan

All data for Pakistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Pakistan?
Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Pakistan was 2.58 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Pakistan?
The highest recorded value was 4.25 units per square kilometre in 1989.
What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Pakistan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5189 units per square kilometre in 1979.
How does Pakistan rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
Pakistan ranks 24th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
Is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of rising or falling in Pakistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Pakistan 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, per square kilometre. 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 Pakistan. 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-per-square/pakistan/

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How this figure is calculated

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum ÷ Land area (sq. km)

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, per square kilometre
Unit
units per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
226 places, 9,772 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.