Costa Rica vs Malawi: Refugees by country of asylum
Costa Rica
31,632 people
in 2024
Malawi
35,510 people
in 2024
Costa Rica rank
72nd
Malawi rank
71st
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- Costa Rica
- Malawi
How they compare
Malawi currently reports 35,510 people against 31,632 people in Costa Rica, a difference of 3,878 people.
That makes Malawi's figure about 1.1 times Costa Rica's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 39 shared years of data; in 1986 it was Malawi ahead.
Costa Rica ranks 72nd and Malawi ranks 71st of 183 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Costa Rica averaged higher in 2 and Malawi in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Costa Rica | Malawi | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 155,100 people | 488,069 people | 332,969 people | Malawi |
| 1990s | 67,396 people | 377,638 people | 310,242 people | Malawi |
| 2000s | 12,714 people | 3,988 people | 8,726 people | Costa Rica |
| 2010s | 12,422 people | 8,551 people | 3,872 people | Costa Rica |
| 2020s | 17,792 people | 28,459 people | 10,667 people | Malawi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, Costa Rica or Malawi?
- Malawi, at 35,510 people against 31,632 people in Costa Rica as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between Costa Rica and Malawi?
- 3,878 people, with Malawi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Costa Rica and Malawi?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1986 to 2024.
- How do Costa Rica and Malawi rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- Costa Rica ranks 72nd and Malawi ranks 71st 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.