Afghanistan vs South Sudan: Refugees by country of origin
Afghanistan
5.77 million people
in 2024
South Sudan
2.29 million people
in 2024
Afghanistan rank
2nd
South Sudan rank
4th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- Afghanistan
- South Sudan
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 5.77 million people against 2.29 million people in South Sudan, a difference of 3.48 million people.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 2.5 times South Sudan's.
Across all 14 years both countries report, Afghanistan has been ahead every year.
Afghanistan ranks 2nd and South Sudan ranks 4th of 204 countries.
Afghanistan has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | South Sudan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 2.62 million people | 1.11 million people | 1.51 million people | Afghanistan |
| 2020s | 4.63 million people | 2.29 million people | 2.34 million people | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, Afghanistan or South Sudan?
- Afghanistan, at 5.77 million people against 2.29 million people in South Sudan as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between Afghanistan and South Sudan?
- 3.48 million people, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and South Sudan?
- 14 years are reported by both, from 2011 to 2024.
- How do Afghanistan and South Sudan rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- Afghanistan ranks 2nd and South Sudan ranks 4th of 204 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Refugees by country of origin. 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, not just those who fled that year.