Countries That Accept the Most Refugees
Today, 1 in 97 people around the world has been forcibly displaced from their homes, according to U.N. data, as the number worldwide has nearly doubled to roughly 80 million in the past decade. Of that number, there are roughly 26 million refugees — people forced to leave their home country. The remaining millions are displaced within their own country, asylum-seekers or the estimated 3.6 million Venezuelans displaced abroad.
The 26 million refugees who have fled to countries providing shelter are scattered across nations in the Middle East, Asia, South America — and Germany, the lone wealthy country in the top 10 countries that are hosting the greatest number of refugees.
Amnesty International, the human rights-focused nongovernmental organization, has analyzed the U.N. data and provided a list of the countries hosting the largest numbers of refugees. Here are the top 10 countries hosting the greatest numbers of refugees.
10. Bangladesh
The South Asian country of Bangladesh is hosting 854,800 refugees, the vast majority of whom are Rohingya, a people who predominantly follow Islam and whom have fled persecution in Myanmar. The U.N. has said the military crackdown of the Rohingya in Myanmar amounts to ethnic cleansing.
MORE: The Ambiguous Plight of the Rohingya
9. Iran
The Western Asian country of Iran hosts 979,400 refugees, with more than 950,000 Afghan refugees and more than 28,000 from Iraq.
MORE: U.S. Tempers Afghan Peace Expectations
Learn more about Iran.
8. Sudan
Located in northeast Africa, Sudan hosts more than 1 million refugees. The country has a long-standing tradition of hosting refugees from Eritrea, Yemen, Syria, Chad, and in recent years, South Sudan.
MORE: Oil Money Fuels South Sudan Conflict
7. Germany
Germany hosts more than 1.1 million refugees, the greatest numbers coming in recent years from Syrian, Afghanistan and Iraq. The inflow has fueled the greatest population increase in Germany in decades.
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Learn more about Germany.
5. Lebanon (tie)
Three countries tie for overall fourth in hosting the largest numbers of refugees — 1.4 million — led by Lebanon. Syrians and Palestinians make up most of the refugees in the Middle Eastern country.
MORE: Fleeing Bombs to Battle Cancer
Learn more about Lebanon.
5. Uganda (tie)
Uganda ties Lebanon and Pakistan by hosting 1.4 million refugees, with most coming from neighboring South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda provides rights to the refugees, according to the U.N., such as rights to education, work, private property, health care and other basic social services.
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4. Pakistan
Pakistan also hosts more than 1.4 million refugees — primarily from neighboring Afghanistan.
MORE: Growing Pakistan, China Influence in Afghanistan
Learn more about Pakistan.
3. Colombia
Colombia hosts more than 1.7 million refugees as the South American nation has borne the disproportionate share of the more than 3 million Venezuelans who have fled the political and economic collapse in their country.
MORE: Pregnant Venezuelan Women Flood Colombia’s Hospitals
Learn more about Colombia.
2. Jordan
A small aid-dependent Middle Eastern nation suffering from severe economic issues, Jordan has 2.9 million refugees that are primarily Syrians. But like Lebanon, the country also hosts Palestinian refugees.
MORE: Syria Sees Reduced Amount of International Donations
Learn more about Jordan.
1. Turkey
By hosting an estimated 3.6 million registered Syrian refugees, Turkey hosts the overall greatest number, according to the U.N. The country also hosts more than 300,000 people of concern from other countries.
MORE: Turkey, EU Review Migrant Deal
Learn more about Turkey.
10 Countries That Accept the Most Refugees
1. Turkey2. Jordan
3. Colombia
4. Lebanon
5. Pakistan (tie)
5. Uganda (tie)
7. Germany
8. Sudan
9. Iran
10. Bangladesh
Want to Know More?
The 2019 U.S. News Best Countries rankings, formed in partnership with BAV Group, a unit of global marketing communications company VMLY&R, and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, aim to gauge global perceptions of the world’s largest economies.
Find out how your country did in the 2020 Best Countries rankings and explore more news, data and analysis on U.S. News.
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10 Countries That Accept the Most Refugees originally appeared on usnews.com
