Congo vs South Africa: Refugees by country of asylum
Congo
62,052 people
in 2024
South Africa
71,171 people
in 2024
Congo rank
61st
South Africa rank
58th
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- Congo
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 71,171 people against 62,052 people in Congo, a difference of 9,119 people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Congo's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1993 it was South Africa ahead.
Congo ranks 61st and South Africa ranks 58th of 183 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Congo averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Congo | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22,396 people | 70,813 people | 48,417 people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 80,794 people | 30,426 people | 50,368 people | Congo |
| 2010s | 68,172 people | 82,821 people | 14,649 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 46,422 people | 71,431 people | 25,009 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, Congo or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 71,171 people against 62,052 people in Congo as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between Congo and South Africa?
- 9,119 people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Congo and South Africa?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2024.
- How do Congo and South Africa rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- Congo ranks 61st and South Africa ranks 58th 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.