South Africa vs Zambia: Refugees by country of asylum
South Africa
71,171 people
in 2024
Zambia
79,275 people
in 2024
South Africa rank
58th
Zambia rank
56th
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- South Africa
- Zambia
How they compare
Zambia currently reports 79,275 people against 71,171 people in South Africa, a difference of 8,104 people.
That makes Zambia's figure about 1.1 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 Zambia ranks 56th of 183 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 2 and Zambia in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 70,813 people | 154,768 people | 83,956 people | Zambia |
| 2000s | 30,426 people | 171,165 people | 140,739 people | Zambia |
| 2010s | 82,821 people | 37,271 people | 45,550 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 71,431 people | 70,814 people | 616.8 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, South Africa or Zambia?
- Zambia, at 79,275 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 Zambia?
- 8,104 people, with Zambia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zambia?
- 32 years are reported by both, from 1993 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Zambia rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- South Africa ranks 58th and Zambia ranks 56th 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.