South Africa vs Thailand: Refugees by country of asylum
South Africa
71,171 people
in 2024
Thailand
84,421 people
in 2024
South Africa rank
58th
Thailand rank
55th
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- South Africa
- Thailand
How they compare
Thailand currently reports 84,421 people against 71,171 people in South Africa, a difference of 13,250 people.
That makes Thailand's figure about 1.2 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 32 shared years of data; in 1993 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 58th and Thailand ranks 55th of 183 countries.
Thailand has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 70,813 people | 120,314 people | 49,501 people | Thailand |
| 2000s | 30,426 people | 116,248 people | 85,822 people | Thailand |
| 2010s | 82,821 people | 105,618 people | 22,797 people | Thailand |
| 2020s | 71,431 people | 92,579 people | 21,149 people | Thailand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, South Africa or Thailand?
- Thailand, at 84,421 people against 71,171 people in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between South Africa and Thailand?
- 13,250 people, with Thailand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Thailand?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Thailand rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- South Africa ranks 58th and Thailand ranks 55th 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.