Iraq vs Western Sahara: Refugees by country of origin
Iraq
305,493 people
in 2024
Western Sahara
174,578 people
in 2024
Iraq rank
15th
Western Sahara rank
17th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- Iraq
- Western Sahara
How they compare
Iraq currently reports 305,493 people against 174,578 people in Western Sahara, a difference of 130,915 people.
That makes Iraq's figure about 1.7 times Western Sahara's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 47 shared years of data; in 1978 it was Western Sahara ahead.
Iraq ranks 15th and Western Sahara ranks 17th of 204 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Iraq averaged higher in 5 and Western Sahara in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iraq | Western Sahara | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 15,780 people | 50,000 people | 34,220 people | Western Sahara |
| 1980s | 263,642 people | 153,719 people | 109,923 people | Iraq |
| 1990s | 877,907 people | 165,576 people | 712,331 people | Iraq |
| 2000s | 987,084 people | 135,991 people | 851,094 people | Iraq |
| 2010s | 628,080 people | 116,590 people | 511,490 people | Iraq |
| 2020s | 319,806 people | 118,109 people | 201,697 people | Iraq |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, Iraq or Western Sahara?
- Iraq, at 305,493 people against 174,578 people in Western Sahara as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between Iraq and Western Sahara?
- 130,915 people, with Iraq ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and Western Sahara?
- 47 years are reported by both, from 1978 to 2024.
- How do Iraq and Western Sahara rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- Iraq ranks 15th 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.