Israel vs South Africa: Refugees by country of origin
Israel
1,307 people
in 2024
South Africa
1,174 people
in 2024
Israel rank
98th
South Africa rank
101st
Refugees by country of origin over time
- Israel
- South Africa
How they compare
Israel currently reports 1,307 people against 1,174 people in South Africa, a difference of 133 people.
That makes Israel's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 37 shared years of data; in 1988 it was South Africa ahead.
Israel ranks 98th and South Africa ranks 101st of 204 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, Israel averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Israel | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5 people | 21,020 people | 21,016 people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 543.2 people | 4,722 people | 4,179 people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 845.4 people | 317.8 people | 527.6 people | Israel |
| 2010s | 861.9 people | 433.8 people | 428.1 people | Israel |
| 2020s | 778 people | 798.8 people | 20.8 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, Israel or South Africa?
- Israel, at 1,307 people against 1,174 people in South Africa as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between Israel and South Africa?
- 133 people, with Israel ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Israel and South Africa?
- 37 years are reported by both, from 1988 to 2024.
- How do Israel and South Africa rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- Israel ranks 98th and South Africa ranks 101st 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.