China vs Ethiopia: Refugees by country of origin
China
153,564 people
in 2024
Ethiopia
164,418 people
in 2024
China rank
20th
Ethiopia rank
18th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- China
- Ethiopia
How they compare
Ethiopia currently reports 164,418 people against 153,564 people in China, a difference of 10,854 people.
That makes Ethiopia's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1967 it was China ahead.
China ranks 20th and Ethiopia ranks 18th of 204 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 5 and Ethiopia in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Ethiopia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 69,667 people | 30,200 people | 39,467 people | China |
| 1970s | 70,333 people | 51,397 people | 18,937 people | China |
| 1980s | 118 people | 1.59 million people | 1.59 million people | Ethiopia |
| 1990s | 85,000 people | 281,190 people | 196,190 people | Ethiopia |
| 2000s | 139,704 people | 63,848 people | 75,856 people | China |
| 2010s | 202,763 people | 82,131 people | 120,632 people | China |
| 2020s | 164,216 people | 154,584 people | 9,631 people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, China or Ethiopia?
- Ethiopia, at 164,418 people against 153,564 people in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between China and Ethiopia?
- 10,854 people, with Ethiopia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Ethiopia?
- 51 years are reported by both, from 1967 to 2024.
- How do China and Ethiopia rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- China ranks 20th and Ethiopia ranks 18th of 204 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) – 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.