Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in China
China: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 230 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in China, 1966–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
The most recent figure for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in China is 230, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 48 years on record.
The figure is down 11.9% on the previous year and down 99.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in China peaked at 321,758 in 2018 and was at its lowest, 230, in 2025.
China ranks 139th of 179 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 970 | — |
| 1979 | 250,000 | +25673.2% |
| 1980 | 263,000 | +5.2% |
| 1981 | 265,000 | +0.8% |
| 1982 | 272,100 | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 276,630 | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 279,750 | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 279,670 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 281,790 | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 280,600 | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 284,300 | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 284,300 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 287,276 | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 289,061 | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 288,123 | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 287,424 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 287,065 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 288,310 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 290,099 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 291,506 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 292,345 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 293,297 | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 294,109 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 295,321 | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 297,273 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 299,347 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 299,367 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 301,039 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 301,024 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 301,075 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 300,966 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 300,985 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 300,984 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 301,016 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 301,037 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 301,045 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 301,052 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 301,044 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 317,254 | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 321,714 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 321,758 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 303,379 | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 303,405 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 303,436 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 320 | -99.9% |
| 2023 | 296 | -7.5% |
| 2024 | 261 | -11.8% |
| 2025 | 230 | -11.9% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 230 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4,647, 5% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- China's 230 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 155, 1.5× 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 China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +25673.2% | 970 | 250,000 |
| 2022 | -99.9% | 303,436 | 320 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 970 | 970 | 970 | 1 |
| 1970s | 250,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 | 1 |
| 1980s | 276,714 | 263,000 | 284,300 | 10 |
| 1990s | 289,451 | 287,065 | 293,297 | 10 |
| 2000s | 299,051 | 294,109 | 301,075 | 10 |
| 2010s | 307,028 | 300,984 | 321,758 | 10 |
| 2020s | 101,325 | 230 | 303,436 | 6 |
Countries ranked near China
More social development data for China
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 153,962 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 153,962 (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 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of -11.88 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in China?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in China was 230 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 321,758 in 2018.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 230 in 2025.
- How does China rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- China ranks 139th 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 China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 99.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Refugees under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) include individuals recognized under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol, the 1969 Organization of African Unity (OAU) Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, the refugee definition contained in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees as incorporated into national laws, those recognized in accordance with the UNHCR Statute, individuals granted complementary forms of protection, and those enjoying temporary protection. The refugee population also includes people in a refugee-like situation, which is a category that is descriptive in nature and includes groups of people who are outside their country or territory of origin and who face protection risks similar to those of refugees, but for whom refugee status has, for practical or other reasons, not been ascertained. Refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Palestine Refugees, are not typically included in the statistics on refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the UNHCR.