The record library
Every extreme in seventy-five years of data — all mechanically computed, every row clickable into the map that proves it. Each line is a lead anyone can cite.
Esta página aún no está disponible en español — a continuación se muestra la versión en inglés.
Three things before reading: this page uses the "refugees" metric (the Venezuelan exodus is mostly under OIP — see the definitions timeline); pre-1967 definitions were narrower; and a decline is not necessarily returns — it can be naturalisation, revisions, or definition changes.
Largest one-year rises in hosting, ever
| # | Country | Year | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irán | 2022 | +2.626.748 |
| 2 | Irán | 1990 | +1.324.401 |
| 3 | Rusia | 2022 | +1.266.771 |
| 4 | Irán | 1981 | +1.235.000 |
| 5 | República Democrática del Congo | 1994 | +1.152.295 |
| 6 | Pakistán | 1980 | +1.028.230 |
| 7 | Pakistán | 2007 | +990.561 |
| 8 | Turquía | 2014 | +977.434 |
| 9 | Polonia | 2022 | +966.254 |
| 10 | Turquía | 2015 | +953.983 |
Largest one-year rises by origin, ever
| # | Country | Year | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ucrania | 2022 | +5.656.615 |
| 2 | Afganistán | 2022 | +2.948.848 |
| 3 | Afganistán | 1981 | +2.145.063 |
| 4 | Ruanda | 1994 | +1.807.111 |
| 5 | Siria | 2013 | +1.739.312 |
| 6 | Siria | 2014 | +1.419.167 |
| 7 | Afganistán | 1980 | +1.234.921 |
| 8 | Irak | 2006 | +1.188.606 |
| 9 | Sudán del Sur | 2017 | +1.003.181 |
| 10 | Siria | 2015 | +985.746 |
Largest one-year declines in hosting, ever
Again: a decline may be returns — or naturalisation, revisions, or definition changes. Click into the year and the country page for context.
| # | Country | Year | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irán | 2025 | -2.718.743 |
| 2 | Irán | 1993 | -1.655.685 |
| 3 | Pakistán | 1992 | -1.470.673 |
| 4 | Somalia | 1981 | -1.300.000 |
| 5 | Rusia | 2024 | -1.220.054 |
| 6 | Pakistán | 2002 | -971.363 |
| 7 | República Democrática del Congo | 1996 | -757.788 |
| 8 | Líbano | 1978 | -695.000 |
| 9 | Malaui | 1994 | -623.363 |
| 10 | Estados Unidos | 2007 | -562.280 |
All-time per-capita hosting peaks
Refugees per 1,000 residents (each country at its own all-time peak year; population ≥ 100k).
| # | Country | Year | per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RAE de Hong Kong (China) | 1964 | 357.1 |
| 2 | RAE de Macao (China) | 1964 | 354.5 |
| 3 | Somalia | 1980 | 336.9 |
| 4 | Líbano | 1976 | 256.7 |
| 5 | Belice | 1988 | 171.8 |
| 6 | Yibuti | 1991 | 152.3 |
| 7 | Gabón | 1977 | 129.7 |
| 8 | Guinea Ecuatorial | 1968 | 125.5 |
| 9 | Malaui | 1992 | 104.4 |
| 10 | Montenegro | 2023 | 102.2 |
Longest-running #1 origin in the world
Number of years spent as the world’s largest origin of refugees, across 75 years.
| # | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Afganistán | 34 |
| 2 | Reino Unido | 29 |
| 3 | Siria | 10 |
| 4 | Etiopía | 1 |
| 5 | Ucrania | 1 |
"Unknown" (UNK) is listed as-is: in early decades UNHCR recorded large caseloads with no origin attached. That is an honest artifact of the historical record, not a data error — we do not guess or backfill.
All figures computed daily from the data (source: UNHCR Refugee Population Statistics Database, data as of 2025-12-31). Methods and limits: methodology; citing: cite responsibly.