Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 9.48 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 9.48 million for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.1% on the previous year and up 112.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 9.48 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 150,000, in 1960.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 9th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 150,000 | — |
| 1961 | 302,000 | +101.3% |
| 1962 | 322,000 | +6.6% |
| 1963 | 353,000 | +9.6% |
| 1964 | 490,300 | +38.9% |
| 1965 | 579,960 | +18.3% |
| 1966 | 736,990 | +27.1% |
| 1967 | 854,240 | +15.9% |
| 1968 | 965,010 | +13.0% |
| 1969 | 979,100 | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 985,145 | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 979,310 | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 1.08 million | +9.8% |
| 1973 | 1.00 million | -6.8% |
| 1974 | 1.08 million | +7.7% |
| 1975 | 1.49 million | +37.9% |
| 1976 | 1.67 million | +12.1% |
| 1977 | 2.01 million | +20.5% |
| 1978 | 2.31 million | +14.9% |
| 1979 | 2.95 million | +27.5% |
| 1980 | 4.02 million | +36.6% |
| 1981 | 2.80 million | -30.5% |
| 1982 | 2.71 million | -2.9% |
| 1983 | 2.65 million | -2.5% |
| 1984 | 3.19 million | +20.5% |
| 1985 | 3.49 million | +9.5% |
| 1986 | 3.28 million | -6.0% |
| 1987 | 3.80 million | +15.7% |
| 1988 | 4.42 million | +16.2% |
| 1989 | 4.61 million | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 5.64 million | +22.4% |
| 1991 | 5.01 million | -11.2% |
| 1992 | 5.23 million | +4.5% |
| 1993 | 6.16 million | +17.6% |
| 1994 | 6.49 million | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 5.74 million | -11.5% |
| 1996 | 4.13 million | -28.1% |
| 1997 | 3.28 million | -20.6% |
| 1998 | 3.14 million | -4.3% |
| 1999 | 3.32 million | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 3.41 million | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 3.07 million | -10.1% |
| 2002 | 3.06 million | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 2.84 million | -7.2% |
| 2004 | 2.73 million | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 2.56 million | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 2.41 million | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 2.29 million | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 2.12 million | -7.4% |
| 2009 | 2.09 million | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 2.20 million | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 2.70 million | +23.0% |
| 2012 | 2.84 million | +5.0% |
| 2013 | 3.01 million | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 3.75 million | +24.6% |
| 2015 | 4.47 million | +19.4% |
| 2016 | 5.19 million | +16.1% |
| 2017 | 6.33 million | +21.9% |
| 2018 | 6.40 million | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 6.40 million | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 6.66 million | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 7.07 million | +6.2% |
| 2022 | 7.11 million | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 7.85 million | +10.3% |
| 2024 | 8.54 million | +8.7% |
| 2025 | 9.48 million | +11.1% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Sub-Saharan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | +101.3% | 150,000 | 302,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 573,260 | 150,000 | 979,100 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.55 million | 979,310 | 2.95 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.50 million | 2.65 million | 4.61 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.81 million | 3.14 million | 6.49 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.66 million | 2.09 million | 3.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.33 million | 2.20 million | 6.40 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.78 million | 6.66 million | 9.48 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More social development data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 11.08 million (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 11.08 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0072 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 11.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 9.48 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 14.23 % change on previous year (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 0.3284 units per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Sub-Saharan Africa was 9.48 million 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 9.48 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 150,000 in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 9th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 112.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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.
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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.