Belgium vs Switzerland: Refugees by country of asylum
Belgium
183,551 people
in 2024
Switzerland
196,167 people
in 2024
Belgium rank
35th
Switzerland rank
33rd
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- Belgium
- Switzerland
How they compare
Switzerland currently reports 196,167 people against 183,551 people in Belgium, a difference of 12,616 people.
That makes Switzerland's figure about 1.1 times Belgium's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1951 it was Belgium ahead.
Belgium ranks 35th and Switzerland ranks 33rd of 183 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Belgium averaged higher in 2 and Switzerland in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Belgium | Switzerland | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 58,056 people | 14,344 people | 43,711 people | Belgium |
| 1960s | 44,000 people | 21,750 people | 22,250 people | Belgium |
| 1970s | 22,039 people | 32,600 people | 10,561 people | Switzerland |
| 1980s | 30,355 people | 33,140 people | 2,786 people | Switzerland |
| 1990s | 25,474 people | 68,508 people | 43,035 people | Switzerland |
| 2000s | 15,196 people | 50,245 people | 35,049 people | Switzerland |
| 2010s | 34,054 people | 72,819 people | 38,765 people | Switzerland |
| 2020s | 128,226 people | 161,155 people | 32,929 people | Switzerland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, Belgium or Switzerland?
- Switzerland, at 196,167 people against 183,551 people in Belgium as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between Belgium and Switzerland?
- 12,616 people, with Switzerland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Belgium and Switzerland?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1951 to 2024.
- How do Belgium and Switzerland rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- Belgium ranks 35th and Switzerland ranks 33rd of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Refugees by country of asylum. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
People who fled their country of origin and are in need of international protection. Refugees are those who have already been granted asylum status in the country they moved to. This includes all refugees who live in this country, not just those who arrived that year.