Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in Pakistan
Pakistan: Refugee population by country or territory of asylum was 1.16 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.16 million
Change on year
down 25.7%
World rank
6th
of 183 countries
All-time high
3.28 million
in 1989
All-time low
400,000
in 1979
Years of data
47
1979–2025
Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in Pakistan, 1979–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, refugee population by country or territory of asylum in Pakistan stood at 1.16 million.
That represents a change of down 25.7% on the previous year and down 25.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugee population by country or territory of asylum in Pakistan peaked at 3.28 million in 1989 and was at its lowest, 400,000, in 1979.
Pakistan ranks 6th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 400,000 | — |
| 1980 | 1.43 million | +257.1% |
| 1981 | 2.38 million | +66.3% |
| 1982 | 2.88 million | +21.1% |
| 1983 | 2.90 million | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 2.50 million | -13.8% |
| 1985 | 2.73 million | +9.3% |
| 1986 | 2.88 million | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 3.16 million | +9.6% |
| 1988 | 3.26 million | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 3.28 million | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 3.26 million | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 3.10 million | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 1.63 million | -47.4% |
| 1993 | 1.48 million | -9.2% |
| 1994 | 1.06 million | -28.7% |
| 1995 | 1.20 million | +13.9% |
| 1996 | 1.20 million | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.20 million | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.20 million | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.20 million | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.00 million | +66.5% |
| 2001 | 2.20 million | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 1.23 million | -44.2% |
| 2003 | 1.12 million | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 1.29 million | +14.8% |
| 2005 | 1.08 million | -16.0% |
| 2006 | 1.04 million | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 2.04 million | +94.8% |
| 2008 | 1.78 million | -12.5% |
| 2009 | 1.74 million | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 1.90 million | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 1.70 million | -10.4% |
| 2012 | 1.64 million | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 1.62 million | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 1.51 million | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 1.56 million | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 1.35 million | -13.4% |
| 2017 | 1.39 million | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 1.40 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.42 million | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.44 million | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.49 million | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 1.74 million | +16.9% |
| 2023 | 1.99 million | +14.0% |
| 2024 | 1.56 million | -21.5% |
| 2025 | 1.16 million | -25.7% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 1.16 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8,620, 134.5× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 1.16 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 15,377, 75.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in Pakistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +257.1% | 400,000 | 1.43 million |
| 2007 | +94.8% | 1.04 million | 2.04 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 400,000 | 400,000 | 400,000 | 1 |
| 1980s | 2.74 million | 1.43 million | 3.28 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.65 million | 1.06 million | 3.26 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.55 million | 1.04 million | 2.20 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.55 million | 1.35 million | 1.90 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.56 million | 1.16 million | 1.99 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More population data for Pakistan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.7801 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1091 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 367,808 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.8 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5037 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.168 (2100)
- Population density 662.88 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 32.24 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugee population by country or territory of asylum in Pakistan?
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in Pakistan was 1.16 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest refugee population by country or territory of asylum recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.28 million in 1989.
- What is the lowest refugee population by country or territory of asylum recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 400,000 in 1979.
- How does Pakistan rank for refugee population by country or territory of asylum?
- Pakistan ranks 6th out of 183 countries with data for 2025.
- Is refugee population by country or territory of asylum rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Refugee population by country or territory of asylum. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).