Germany vs Iran: Refugees by country of asylum
Germany
2.75 million people
in 2024
Iran
3.49 million people
in 2024
Germany rank
3rd
Iran rank
1st
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- Germany
- Iran
How they compare
Iran currently reports 3.49 million people against 2.75 million people in Germany, a difference of 739,990 people.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.3 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1962 it was Germany ahead.
Germany ranks 3rd and Iran ranks 1st of 183 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 1 and Iran in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 147,500 people | 1,025 people | 146,475 people | Germany |
| 1970s | 87,000 people | 130,100 people | 43,100 people | Iran |
| 1980s | 339,340 people | 2.08 million people | 1.75 million people | Iran |
| 1990s | 1.12 million people | 2.73 million people | 1.62 million people | Iran |
| 2000s | 768,670 people | 1.20 million people | 434,357 people | Iran |
| 2010s | 632,660 people | 956,462 people | 323,802 people | Iran |
| 2020s | 1.98 million people | 2.46 million people | 478,646 people | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, Germany or Iran?
- Iran, at 3.49 million people against 2.75 million people in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between Germany and Iran?
- 739,990 people, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Iran?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1962 to 2024.
- How do Germany and Iran rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- Germany ranks 3rd and Iran ranks 1st of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Refugees by country of asylum. 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 who live in this country, not just those who arrived that year.