China vs Western Sahara: Refugees by country of origin
China
153,564 people
in 2024
Western Sahara
174,578 people
in 2024
China rank
20th
Western Sahara rank
17th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- China
- Western Sahara
How they compare
Western Sahara currently reports 174,578 people against 153,564 people in China, a difference of 21,014 people.
That makes Western Sahara's figure about 1.1 times China's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 45 shared years of data; in 1980 it was Western Sahara ahead.
China ranks 20th and Western Sahara ranks 17th of 204 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, China averaged higher in 3 and Western Sahara in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Western Sahara | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 118 people | 153,719 people | 153,601 people | Western Sahara |
| 1990s | 85,000 people | 165,576 people | 80,575 people | Western Sahara |
| 2000s | 139,704 people | 135,991 people | 3,713 people | China |
| 2010s | 202,763 people | 116,590 people | 86,173 people | China |
| 2020s | 164,216 people | 118,109 people | 46,107 people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, China or Western Sahara?
- Western Sahara, at 174,578 people against 153,564 people in China as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between China and Western Sahara?
- 21,014 people, with Western Sahara ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Western Sahara?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
- How do China and Western Sahara rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- China ranks 20th and Western Sahara ranks 17th 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.