China vs Italy: Refugees by country of asylum
China
303,405 people
in 2020
Italy
312,849 people
in 2024
China rank
25th
Italy rank
24th
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- China
- Italy
How they compare
Italy currently reports 312,849 people against 303,405 people in China, a difference of 9,444 people.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 43 shared years of data; in 1966 it was Italy ahead.
China ranks 25th and Italy ranks 24th of 183 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 6 and Italy in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Italy | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 970 people | 14,000 people | 13,030 people | Italy |
| 1970s | 250,000 people | 14,100 people | 235,900 people | China |
| 1980s | 276,714 people | 20,800 people | 255,914 people | China |
| 1990s | 289,451 people | 37,023 people | 252,427 people | China |
| 2000s | 299,051 people | 24,149 people | 274,902 people | China |
| 2010s | 307,028 people | 117,877 people | 189,152 people | China |
| 2020s | 303,405 people | 128,033 people | 175,372 people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, China or Italy?
- Italy, at 312,849 people against 303,405 people in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between China and Italy?
- 9,444 people, with Italy ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Italy?
- 43 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2020.
- How do China and Italy rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- China ranks 25th and Italy ranks 24th 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.