Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in South Africa
South Africa: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 0.0554 units per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in South Africa, 1993–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in South Africa is 0.0554 units per square kilometre, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in South Africa peaked at 0.2061 units per square kilometre in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.0056 units per square kilometre, in 1997.
South Africa ranks 94th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 0.2061 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1994 | 0.0758 units per square kilometre | -63.2% |
| 1995 | 0.0836 units per square kilometre | +10.4% |
| 1996 | 0.0187 units per square kilometre | -77.7% |
| 1997 | 0.0056 units per square kilometre | -69.9% |
| 1998 | 0.0069 units per square kilometre | +23.0% |
| 1999 | 0.012 units per square kilometre | +73.4% |
| 2000 | 0.0124 units per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 0.0153 units per square kilometre | +23.5% |
| 2002 | 0.0192 units per square kilometre | +25.5% |
| 2003 | 0.0219 units per square kilometre | +13.8% |
| 2004 | 0.0228 units per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 0.0245 units per square kilometre | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 0.0289 units per square kilometre | +18.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0303 units per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 2008 | 0.0359 units per square kilometre | +18.5% |
| 2009 | 0.0395 units per square kilometre | +10.2% |
| 2010 | 0.0477 units per square kilometre | +20.7% |
| 2011 | 0.0477 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.0538 units per square kilometre | +12.7% |
| 2013 | 0.0544 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 0.0925 units per square kilometre | +70.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1003 units per square kilometre | +8.4% |
| 2016 | 0.075 units per square kilometre | -25.2% |
| 2017 | 0.0731 units per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 0.0736 units per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 0.0646 units per square kilometre | -12.2% |
| 2020 | 0.0633 units per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 0.0622 units per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 0.0549 units per square kilometre | -11.8% |
| 2023 | 0.0554 units per square kilometre | +0.8% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.0554 units per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0093 units per square kilometre, 5.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.0554 units per square kilometre is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0554 units per square kilometre, 1.0× 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 South Africa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | -77.7% | 0.0836 units per square kilometre | 0.0187 units per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0584 units per square kilometre | 0.0056 units per square kilometre | 0.2061 units per square kilometre | 7 |
| 2000s | 0.0251 units per square kilometre | 0.0124 units per square kilometre | 0.0395 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0683 units per square kilometre | 0.0477 units per square kilometre | 0.1003 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0589 units per square kilometre | 0.0549 units per square kilometre | 0.0633 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 91 Senegal 0.0616 units per square kilometre compare
- 92 Japan 0.0613 units per square kilometre compare
- 93 Israel 0.0571 units per square kilometre compare
- 95 Mali 0.0545 units per square kilometre compare
- 96 Afghanistan 0.0534 units per square kilometre compare
- 97 Central African Republic 0.0528 units per square kilometre compare
More social development data for South Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 55,177 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,319 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (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 1,319 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0009 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 South Africa?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in South Africa was 0.0554 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2061 units per square kilometre in 1993.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0056 units per square kilometre in 1997.
- How does South Africa rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- South Africa ranks 94th 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 South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 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 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
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 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.