Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in South Sudan
South Sudan: Refugee population by country or territory of asylum was 601,818 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in South Sudan, 2011–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, refugee population by country or territory of asylum in South Sudan stood at 601,818. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 16.9% on the previous year and up 128.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugee population by country or territory of asylum in South Sudan peaked at 601,818 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 105,023, in 2011.
That places South Sudan 13th out of 183 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in South Sudan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 105,023 | — |
| 2012 | 202,581 | +92.9% |
| 2013 | 229,587 | +13.3% |
| 2014 | 248,152 | +8.1% |
| 2015 | 263,012 | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 262,558 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 283,405 | +7.9% |
| 2018 | 291,838 | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 298,309 | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 314,438 | +5.4% |
| 2021 | 333,673 | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 308,369 | -7.6% |
| 2023 | 381,236 | +23.6% |
| 2024 | 514,794 | +35.0% |
| 2025 | 601,818 | +16.9% |
South Sudan compared with similar countries
- South Sudan's 601,818 is above the median for low income countries, which is 45,052, 13.4× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- South Sudan's 601,818 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35,241, 17.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in South Sudan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +92.9% | 105,023 | 202,581 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 242,718 | 105,023 | 298,309 | 9 |
| 2020s | 409,055 | 308,369 | 601,818 | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More population data for South Sudan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.4787 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0933 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 17,461 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.92 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5193 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.026 (2100)
- Population density 37.73 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 1.57 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugee population by country or territory of asylum in South Sudan?
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum in South Sudan was 601,818 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest refugee population by country or territory of asylum recorded in South Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 601,818 in 2025.
- What is the lowest refugee population by country or territory of asylum recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 105,023 in 2011.
- How does South Sudan rank for refugee population by country or territory of asylum?
- South Sudan ranks 13th out of 183 countries with data for 2025.
- Is refugee population by country or territory of asylum rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 128.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Sudan 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 — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).