Iran vs Turkey: Refugees by country of asylum
Iran
3.49 million people
in 2024
Turkey
2.94 million people
in 2024
Iran rank
1st
Turkey rank
2nd
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- Iran
- Turkey
How they compare
Iran currently reports 3.49 million people against 2.94 million people in Turkey, a difference of 548,520 people.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.2 times Turkey's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 50 shared years of data; in 1962 it was Turkey ahead.
Iran ranks 1st and Turkey ranks 2nd of 183 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 4 and Turkey in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | Turkey | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,025 people | 1,995 people | 970 people | Turkey |
| 1970s | 130,100 people | 1,060 people | 129,040 people | Iran |
| 1980s | 2.08 million people | 5,630 people | 2.08 million people | Iran |
| 1990s | 2.73 million people | 16,393 people | 2.71 million people | Iran |
| 2000s | 1.20 million people | 4,877 people | 1.20 million people | Iran |
| 2010s | 956,462 people | 1.86 million people | 907,656 people | Turkey |
| 2020s | 2.46 million people | 3.43 million people | 979,014 people | Turkey |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, Iran or Turkey?
- Iran, at 3.49 million people against 2.94 million people in Turkey as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between Iran and Turkey?
- 548,520 people, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and Turkey?
- 50 years are reported by both, from 1962 to 2024.
- How do Iran and Turkey rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- Iran ranks 1st and Turkey ranks 2nd 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.