Refugees by country of asylum in Brazil
Brazil: Refugees by country of asylum was 257,079 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Refugees by country of asylum in Brazil, 1969–2024
Source: UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Brazil recorded 257,079 people for refugees by country of asylum in 2024. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 9.0% on the previous year and up 3,337.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees by country of asylum in Brazil peaked at 257,079 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2,050 people, in 1995.
That places Brazil 29th out of 183 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Refugees by country of asylum in Brazil, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 40,000 people | — |
| 1970 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 38,000 people | -5.0% |
| 1972 | 37,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1973 | 35,200 people | -4.9% |
| 1974 | 34,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 32,000 people | -5.9% |
| 1976 | 30,000 people | -6.2% |
| 1977 | 36,000 people | +20.0% |
| 1978 | 35,000 people | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 25,000 people | -28.6% |
| 1980 | 24,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1981 | 24,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5,400 people | -77.5% |
| 1983 | 5,400 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5,300 people | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 5,300 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5,300 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5,280 people | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 5,332 people | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 5,331 people | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 5,335 people | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 5,389 people | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 5,439 people | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 6,198 people | +14.0% |
| 1994 | 2,223 people | -64.1% |
| 1995 | 2,050 people | -7.8% |
| 1996 | 2,212 people | +7.9% |
| 1997 | 2,260 people | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 2,345 people | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 2,374 people | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 2,718 people | +14.5% |
| 2001 | 2,877 people | +5.8% |
| 2002 | 3,176 people | +10.4% |
| 2003 | 3,190 people | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 3,333 people | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 3,446 people | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 3,478 people | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 20,764 people | +497.0% |
| 2008 | 3,831 people | -81.5% |
| 2009 | 4,218 people | +10.1% |
| 2010 | 4,346 people | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 4,466 people | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 4,681 people | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 5,185 people | +10.8% |
| 2014 | 7,478 people | +44.2% |
| 2015 | 8,703 people | +16.4% |
| 2016 | 9,674 people | +11.2% |
| 2017 | 10,260 people | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 11,304 people | +10.2% |
| 2019 | 32,844 people | +190.6% |
| 2020 | 59,092 people | +79.9% |
| 2021 | 61,956 people | +4.8% |
| 2022 | 67,522 people | +9.0% |
| 2023 | 235,765 people | +249.2% |
| 2024 | 257,079 people | +9.0% |
Brazil compared with similar countries
- Brazil's 257,079 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6,251 people, 41.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Brazil's 257,079 people is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 166 people, 1548.7× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees by country of asylum in Brazil 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +497.0% | 3,478 people | 20,764 people |
| 2023 | +249.2% | 67,522 people | 235,765 people |
| 2019 | +190.6% | 11,304 people | 32,844 people |
| 2008 | -81.5% | 20,764 people | 3,831 people |
| 1982 | -77.5% | 24,000 people | 5,400 people |
| 2020 | +79.9% | 32,844 people | 59,092 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 40,000 people | 40,000 people | 40,000 people | 1 |
| 1970s | 34,220 people | 25,000 people | 40,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 9,064 people | 5,280 people | 24,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,582 people | 2,050 people | 6,198 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 5,103 people | 2,718 people | 20,764 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 9,894 people | 4,346 people | 32,844 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 136,283 people | 59,092 people | 257,079 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Brazil
More reference data data for Brazil
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 13.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 72.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 139.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 139.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 46.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 18.99 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 405.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 699.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 49.04 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees by country of asylum in Brazil?
- Refugees by country of asylum in Brazil was 257,079 people in 2024, according to UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest refugees by country of asylum recorded in Brazil?
- The highest recorded value was 257,079 people in 2024.
- What is the lowest refugees by country of asylum recorded in Brazil?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,050 people in 1995.
- How does Brazil rank for refugees by country of asylum?
- Brazil ranks 29th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is refugees by country of asylum rising or falling in Brazil?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3,337.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Brazil data come from?
- The figures come from UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Refugees by country of asylum. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.