United Kingdom vs United States: Refugees by country of asylum
Refugees by country of asylum over time
- United Kingdom
- United States
How they compare
United Kingdom currently reports 515,677 people against 435,333 people in United States, a difference of 80,344 people.
That makes United Kingdom's figure about 1.2 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1951 it was United States ahead.
United Kingdom ranks 16th and United States ranks 18th of 183 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 8 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | United Kingdom | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 184,778 people | 483,333 people | 298,556 people | United States |
| 1960s | 163,200 people | 498,800 people | 335,600 people | United States |
| 1970s | 151,750 people | 580,270 people | 428,520 people | United States |
| 1980s | 113,277 people | 489,019 people | 375,742 people | United States |
| 1990s | 88,515 people | 566,199 people | 477,684 people | United States |
| 2000s | 272,145 people | 444,134 people | 171,988 people | United States |
| 2010s | 144,830 people | 281,038 people | 136,209 people | United States |
| 2020s | 312,534 people | 377,524 people | 64,990 people | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of asylum, United Kingdom or United States?
- United Kingdom, at 515,677 people against 435,333 people in United States as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of asylum between United Kingdom and United States?
- 80,344 people, with United Kingdom ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for United Kingdom and United States?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1951 to 2024.
- How do United Kingdom and United States rank globally for refugees by country of asylum?
- United Kingdom ranks 16th and United States ranks 18th of 183 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) β 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.