Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR … square kilometre asylum in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR … square kilometre asylum was 1.85 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in United Kingdom, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 1.85 units per square kilometre for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 36.4% on the previous year and up 255.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in United Kingdom peaked at 1.85 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.1643 units per square kilometre, in 1988.
United Kingdom ranks 26th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR … square kilometre asylum in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.6779 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 0.6613 units per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 1963 | 0.6489 units per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1964 | 0.6613 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1965 | 0.7027 units per square kilometre | +6.3% |
| 1966 | 0.6903 units per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 0.6779 units per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 0.6655 units per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1969 | 0.6696 units per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 0.6696 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.62 units per square kilometre | -7.4% |
| 1972 | 0.62 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.62 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.6427 units per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 1975 | 0.6324 units per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 0.6324 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.6117 units per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 1978 | 0.62 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 0.6035 units per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 0.6117 units per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 0.6035 units per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 0.5911 units per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 0.5787 units per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 0.558 units per square kilometre | -3.6% |
| 1985 | 0.558 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.4133 units per square kilometre | -25.9% |
| 1987 | 0.4133 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.1643 units per square kilometre | -60.2% |
| 1989 | 0.1902 units per square kilometre | +15.7% |
| 1990 | 0.1803 units per square kilometre | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 0.1793 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 0.2675 units per square kilometre | +49.2% |
| 1993 | 0.3316 units per square kilometre | +24.0% |
| 1994 | 0.352 units per square kilometre | +6.1% |
| 1995 | 0.3758 units per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 1996 | 0.4075 units per square kilometre | +8.4% |
| 1997 | 0.4461 units per square kilometre | +9.5% |
| 1998 | 0.5031 units per square kilometre | +12.8% |
| 1999 | 0.6156 units per square kilometre | +22.4% |
| 2000 | 0.7698 units per square kilometre | +25.1% |
| 2001 | 0.9647 units per square kilometre | +25.3% |
| 2002 | 1.08 units per square kilometre | +11.7% |
| 2003 | 1.14 units per square kilometre | +6.1% |
| 2004 | 1.24 units per square kilometre | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 1.25 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 1.25 units per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 1.24 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 1.21 units per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 1.11 units per square kilometre | -7.8% |
| 2010 | 0.9843 units per square kilometre | -11.6% |
| 2011 | 0.7998 units per square kilometre | -18.7% |
| 2012 | 0.6191 units per square kilometre | -22.6% |
| 2013 | 0.521 units per square kilometre | -15.9% |
| 2014 | 0.4845 units per square kilometre | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 0.5086 units per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 0.4918 units per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 0.5035 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 0.5237 units per square kilometre | +4.0% |
| 2019 | 0.5501 units per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5469 units per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 0.5666 units per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 1.36 units per square kilometre | +140.0% |
| 2023 | 1.85 units per square kilometre | +36.4% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1.85 units per square kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.3175 units per square kilometre, 5.8× the median. (65 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1.85 units per square kilometre is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.8355 units per square kilometre, 2.2× the median. (50 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR … square kilometre asylum in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +140.0% | 0.5666 units per square kilometre | 1.36 units per square kilometre |
| 1988 | -60.2% | 0.4133 units per square kilometre | 0.1643 units per square kilometre |
| 1992 | +49.2% | 0.1793 units per square kilometre | 0.2675 units per square kilometre |
| 2023 | +36.4% | 1.36 units per square kilometre | 1.85 units per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.6728 units per square kilometre | 0.6489 units per square kilometre | 0.7027 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.6272 units per square kilometre | 0.6035 units per square kilometre | 0.6696 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4682 units per square kilometre | 0.1643 units per square kilometre | 0.6117 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3659 units per square kilometre | 0.1793 units per square kilometre | 0.6156 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.12 units per square kilometre | 0.7698 units per square kilometre | 1.25 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5987 units per square kilometre | 0.4845 units per square kilometre | 0.9843 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.08 units per square kilometre | 0.5469 units per square kilometre | 1.85 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 23 Slovakia 2.64 units per square kilometre compare
- 24 Pakistan 2.58 units per square kilometre compare
- 25 Iran 2.32 units per square kilometre compare
- 27 Denmark 1.72 units per square kilometre compare
- 28 Ireland 1.65 units per square kilometre compare
- 29 Greece 1.49 units per square kilometre compare
More social development data for United Kingdom
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 581,072 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 517 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (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 517 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0084 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 United Kingdom?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in United Kingdom was 1.85 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 1.85 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1643 units per square kilometre in 1988.
- How does United Kingdom rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- United Kingdom ranks 26th 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 United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is up 255.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 63 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.