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 0.3653 units per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.3653 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 10.9%
Rank
15th
of 44 groups
All-time high
0.3653 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
0.015 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961–2023

00.10.20.30.4196119922023

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

Analysis

In 2023, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 0.3653 units per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is up 10.9% on the previous year and up 135.8% 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 0.3653 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.015 units per square kilometre, in 1961.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 15th of 44 groups 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 Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Annual values for Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1961 to 2023.
Year units per square kilometre Change
1961 0.015 units per square kilometre
1962 0.016 units per square kilometre +6.6%
1963 0.0175 units per square kilometre +9.6%
1964 0.0243 units per square kilometre +38.9%
1965 0.0288 units per square kilometre +18.2%
1966 0.0366 units per square kilometre +27.1%
1967 0.0414 units per square kilometre +13.2%
1968 0.0484 units per square kilometre +16.9%
1969 0.0465 units per square kilometre -3.8%
1970 0.0484 units per square kilometre +4.0%
1971 0.0485 units per square kilometre +0.2%
1972 0.0532 units per square kilometre +9.8%
1973 0.049 units per square kilometre -8.0%
1974 0.0537 units per square kilometre +9.6%
1975 0.0738 units per square kilometre +37.5%
1976 0.0825 units per square kilometre +11.9%
1977 0.1 units per square kilometre +21.2%
1978 0.1156 units per square kilometre +15.5%
1979 0.1529 units per square kilometre +32.3%
1980 0.2072 units per square kilometre +35.5%
1981 0.1464 units per square kilometre -29.3%
1982 0.1419 units per square kilometre -3.1%
1983 0.1384 units per square kilometre -2.5%
1984 0.1676 units per square kilometre +21.1%
1985 0.1804 units per square kilometre +7.6%
1986 0.1703 units per square kilometre -5.6%
1987 0.1893 units per square kilometre +11.2%
1988 0.2198 units per square kilometre +16.1%
1989 0.2312 units per square kilometre +5.2%
1990 0.2853 units per square kilometre +23.4%
1991 0.2567 units per square kilometre -10.1%
1992 0.2694 units per square kilometre +5.0%
1993 0.2978 units per square kilometre +10.5%
1994 0.3168 units per square kilometre +6.4%
1995 0.2648 units per square kilometre -16.4%
1996 0.205 units per square kilometre -22.6%
1997 0.1667 units per square kilometre -18.7%
1998 0.1607 units per square kilometre -3.6%
1999 0.1703 units per square kilometre +6.0%
2000 0.1774 units per square kilometre +4.2%
2001 0.1631 units per square kilometre -8.1%
2002 0.166 units per square kilometre +1.7%
2003 0.1559 units per square kilometre -6.0%
2004 0.1506 units per square kilometre -3.4%
2005 0.1447 units per square kilometre -3.9%
2006 0.1421 units per square kilometre -1.8%
2007 0.1285 units per square kilometre -9.6%
2008 0.1229 units per square kilometre -4.4%
2009 0.1246 units per square kilometre +1.4%
2010 0.1314 units per square kilometre +5.4%
2011 0.1576 units per square kilometre +20.0%
2012 0.148 units per square kilometre -6.1%
2013 0.155 units per square kilometre +4.7%
2014 0.1875 units per square kilometre +21.0%
2015 0.219 units per square kilometre +16.8%
2016 0.2514 units per square kilometre +14.8%
2017 0.3019 units per square kilometre +20.1%
2018 0.303 units per square kilometre +0.4%
2019 0.305 units per square kilometre +0.7%
2020 0.3103 units per square kilometre +1.7%
2021 0.3272 units per square kilometre +5.5%
2022 0.3295 units per square kilometre +0.7%
2023 0.3653 units per square kilometre +10.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0.0305 units per square kilometre 0.015 units per square kilometre 0.0484 units per square kilometre 9
1970s 0.0778 units per square kilometre 0.0484 units per square kilometre 0.1529 units per square kilometre 10
1980s 0.1792 units per square kilometre 0.1384 units per square kilometre 0.2312 units per square kilometre 10
1990s 0.2394 units per square kilometre 0.1607 units per square kilometre 0.3168 units per square kilometre 10
2000s 0.1476 units per square kilometre 0.1229 units per square kilometre 0.1774 units per square kilometre 10
2010s 0.216 units per square kilometre 0.1314 units per square kilometre 0.305 units per square kilometre 10
2020s 0.3331 units per square kilometre 0.3103 units per square kilometre 0.3653 units per square kilometre 4

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 12 Sri Lanka 2.35 units per square kilometre compare
  2. 13 Myanmar 1.97 units per square kilometre compare
  3. 14 Azerbaijan 1.91 units per square kilometre compare
  4. 15 Somalia 1.34 units per square kilometre compare
  5. 16 Central African Republic 1.22 units per square kilometre compare
  6. 17 Comoros 1.18 units per square kilometre compare
  7. 18 Sudan 0.8013 units per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 243 places →

More social development data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

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 0.3653 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 Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.3653 units per square kilometre in 2023.
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 0.015 units per square kilometre in 1961.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 15th out of 44 groups with data for 2023.
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 135.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sub-Saharan 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 origin, 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 Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/refugees-under-the-mandate-of-the-unhcr-by-country-or-territory-of-origin-per-square/sub-saharan-africa/

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How this figure is calculated

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin 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 origin ÷ 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 origin, per square kilometre
Unit
units per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
243 places, 9,411 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin 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.