Rwanda vs Western Sahara: Refugees by country of origin
Rwanda
249,087 people
in 2024
Western Sahara
174,578 people
in 2024
Rwanda rank
16th
Western Sahara rank
17th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- Rwanda
- Western Sahara
How they compare
Rwanda currently reports 249,087 people against 174,578 people in Western Sahara, a difference of 74,509 people.
That makes Rwanda's figure about 1.4 times Western Sahara's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Rwanda ahead.
Rwanda ranks 16th and Western Sahara ranks 17th of 204 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 5 and Western Sahara in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Rwanda | Western Sahara | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 174,712 people | 41,000 people | 133,712 people | Rwanda |
| 1980s | 331,939 people | 153,719 people | 178,220 people | Rwanda |
| 1990s | 645,849 people | 165,576 people | 480,273 people | Rwanda |
| 2000s | 89,366 people | 135,991 people | 46,625 people | Western Sahara |
| 2010s | 180,833 people | 116,590 people | 64,242 people | Rwanda |
| 2020s | 248,555 people | 118,109 people | 130,447 people | Rwanda |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, Rwanda or Western Sahara?
- Rwanda, at 249,087 people against 174,578 people in Western Sahara as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between Rwanda and Western Sahara?
- 74,509 people, with Rwanda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and Western Sahara?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2024.
- How do Rwanda and Western Sahara rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- Rwanda ranks 16th 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.