Ethiopia vs Iraq: Refugees by country of origin
Ethiopia
164,418 people
in 2024
Iraq
305,493 people
in 2024
Ethiopia rank
18th
Iraq rank
15th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- Ethiopia
- Iraq
How they compare
Iraq currently reports 305,493 people against 164,418 people in Ethiopia, a difference of 141,075 people.
That makes Iraq's figure about 1.9 times Ethiopia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 49 shared years of data; in 1968 it was Ethiopia ahead.
Ethiopia ranks 18th and Iraq ranks 15th of 204 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Ethiopia averaged higher in 3 and Iraq in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Ethiopia | Iraq | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31,000 people | 2,700 people | 28,300 people | Ethiopia |
| 1970s | 1.26 million people | 15,780 people | 1.24 million people | Ethiopia |
| 1980s | 1.59 million people | 263,642 people | 1.33 million people | Ethiopia |
| 1990s | 281,190 people | 877,907 people | 596,717 people | Iraq |
| 2000s | 63,848 people | 987,084 people | 923,237 people | Iraq |
| 2010s | 82,131 people | 628,080 people | 545,949 people | Iraq |
| 2020s | 154,584 people | 319,806 people | 165,221 people | Iraq |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, Ethiopia or Iraq?
- Iraq, at 305,493 people against 164,418 people in Ethiopia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between Ethiopia and Iraq?
- 141,075 people, with Iraq ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Ethiopia and Iraq?
- 49 years are reported by both, from 1968 to 2024.
- How do Ethiopia and Iraq rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- Ethiopia ranks 18th and Iraq ranks 15th 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.