Refugees by country of asylum in Pakistan
Pakistan: Refugees by country of asylum was 1.56 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Refugees by country of asylum in Pakistan, 1979–2024
Source: UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Pakistan recorded 1.56 million people for refugees by country of asylum in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 21.5% on the previous year and up 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees by country of asylum in Pakistan peaked at 3.28 million people in 1989 and was at its lowest, 400,000 people, in 1979.
That places Pakistan 5th out of 183 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 46 years of available data.
Refugees by country of asylum in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 400,000 people | — |
| 1980 | 1.43 million people | +257.1% |
| 1981 | 2.38 million people | +66.3% |
| 1982 | 2.88 million people | +21.1% |
| 1983 | 2.90 million people | +0.8% |
| 1984 | 2.50 million people | -13.8% |
| 1985 | 2.73 million people | +9.3% |
| 1986 | 2.88 million people | +5.5% |
| 1987 | 3.16 million people | +9.6% |
| 1988 | 3.26 million people | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 3.28 million people | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 3.26 million people | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 3.10 million people | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 1.63 million people | -47.4% |
| 1993 | 1.48 million people | -9.2% |
| 1994 | 1.06 million people | -28.7% |
| 1995 | 1.20 million people | +13.9% |
| 1996 | 1.20 million people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.20 million people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.20 million people | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.20 million people | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.00 million people | +66.5% |
| 2001 | 2.20 million people | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 1.23 million people | -44.2% |
| 2003 | 1.12 million people | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 1.29 million people | +14.8% |
| 2005 | 1.08 million people | -16.0% |
| 2006 | 1.04 million people | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 2.04 million people | +94.8% |
| 2008 | 1.78 million people | -12.5% |
| 2009 | 1.74 million people | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 1.90 million people | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 1.70 million people | -10.4% |
| 2012 | 1.64 million people | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 1.62 million people | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 1.51 million people | -6.9% |
| 2015 | 1.56 million people | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 1.35 million people | -13.4% |
| 2017 | 1.39 million people | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 1.40 million people | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.42 million people | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 1.44 million people | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.49 million people | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 1.74 million people | +16.9% |
| 2023 | 1.99 million people | +14.0% |
| 2024 | 1.56 million people | -21.5% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 1.56 million people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9,240 people, 168.9× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 1.56 million people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 16,250 people, 96.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees by country of asylum in Pakistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +257.1% | 400,000 people | 1.43 million people |
| 2007 | +94.8% | 1.04 million people | 2.04 million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 400,000 people | 400,000 people | 400,000 people | 1 |
| 1980s | 2.74 million people | 1.43 million people | 3.28 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.65 million people | 1.06 million people | 3.26 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.55 million people | 1.04 million people | 2.20 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.55 million people | 1.35 million people | 1.90 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.64 million people | 1.44 million people | 1.99 million people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
More reference data data for Pakistan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 6.05 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 20.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 61.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 61.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 20.3 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 5.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 91.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 260 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.79 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees by country of asylum in Pakistan?
- Refugees by country of asylum in Pakistan was 1.56 million 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.28 million people in 1989.
- What is the lowest refugees by country of asylum recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 400,000 people in 1979.
- How does Pakistan rank for refugees by country of asylum?
- Pakistan ranks 5th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is refugees by country of asylum rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan 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 — 46 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.