China vs Iraq: Refugees by country of asylum
China
303,405 people
in 2020
Iraq
318,461 people
in 2024
China rank
25th
Iraq rank
23rd
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- China
- Iraq
How they compare
Iraq currently reports 318,461 people against 303,405 people in China, a difference of 15,056 people.
Across all 40 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.
China ranks 25th and Iraq ranks 23rd of 183 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iraq | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 250,000 people | 400 people | 249,600 people | China |
| 1980s | 274,818 people | 25,050 people | 249,768 people | China |
| 1990s | 289,451 people | 99,918 people | 189,532 people | China |
| 2000s | 299,051 people | 69,454 people | 229,596 people | China |
| 2010s | 307,028 people | 206,032 people | 100,997 people | China |
| 2020s | 303,405 people | 270,377 people | 33,028 people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, China or Iraq?
- Iraq, at 318,461 people against 303,405 people in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between China and Iraq?
- 15,056 people, with Iraq ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iraq?
- 40 years are reported by both, from 1979 to 2020.
- How do China and Iraq rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- China ranks 25th and Iraq ranks 23rd of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) – 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.