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.
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 | Iran | 2022 | +2,626,748 |
| 2 | Iran | 1990 | +1,324,401 |
| 3 | Russia | 2022 | +1,266,771 |
| 4 | Iran | 1981 | +1,235,000 |
| 5 | DR Congo | 1994 | +1,152,295 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 1980 | +1,028,230 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 2007 | +990,561 |
| 8 | Türkiye | 2014 | +977,434 |
| 9 | Poland | 2022 | +966,254 |
| 10 | Türkiye | 2015 | +953,983 |
Largest one-year rises by origin, ever
| # | Country | Year | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine | 2022 | +5,656,615 |
| 2 | Afghanistan | 2022 | +2,948,848 |
| 3 | Afghanistan | 1981 | +2,145,063 |
| 4 | Rwanda | 1994 | +1,807,111 |
| 5 | Syria | 2013 | +1,739,312 |
| 6 | Syria | 2014 | +1,419,167 |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 1980 | +1,234,921 |
| 8 | Iraq | 2006 | +1,188,606 |
| 9 | South Sudan | 2017 | +1,003,181 |
| 10 | Syria | 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 | Iran | 2025 | -2,718,743 |
| 2 | Iran | 1993 | -1,655,685 |
| 3 | Pakistan | 1992 | -1,470,673 |
| 4 | Somalia | 1981 | -1,300,000 |
| 5 | Russia | 2024 | -1,220,054 |
| 6 | Pakistan | 2002 | -971,363 |
| 7 | DR Congo | 1996 | -757,788 |
| 8 | Lebanon | 1978 | -695,000 |
| 9 | Malawi | 1994 | -623,363 |
| 10 | United States | 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 | Hong Kong SAR, China | 1964 | 357.1 |
| 2 | Macao SAR, China | 1964 | 354.5 |
| 3 | Somalia | 1980 | 336.9 |
| 4 | Lebanon | 1976 | 256.7 |
| 5 | Belize | 1988 | 171.8 |
| 6 | Djibouti | 1991 | 152.3 |
| 7 | Gabon | 1977 | 129.7 |
| 8 | Equatorial Guinea | 1968 | 125.5 |
| 9 | Malawi | 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 | Afghanistan | 34 |
| 2 | Unknown origin | 29 |
| 3 | Syria | 10 |
| 4 | Ethiopia | 1 |
| 5 | Ukraine | 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.