Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon Host the Highest Number of Refugees

Bloomberg
The global refugee population continues to climb. In 2016 there were 17.2 million refugees, an increase of 7 percent over 2015, according to UNHCR, the UN agency for refugees. For the third straight year, Turkey hosted the most refugees, at 2.9 million, followed by Pakistan, with 1.4 million, and Lebanon with 1 million people. Turkey and Germany are the only Group of 20 nations among the top 10 host countries. More than half of the world’s refugees originated from Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan. In South Sudan, a growing humanitarian crisis led to an increase of 64 percent during the second half of the year to 1.4 million people.

With nations from China and Germany to Mexico and the U.S. at the G-20 summit table, finding a shared approach is difficult. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made migration a priority as G-20 summit host, calling on members to back a “Compact With Africa” to promote investment to build up local economies. Europe’s Mediterranean countries such as Italy are among those concerned about new waves of refugees and migrants arriving from North Africa. (Unlike refugees, who flee their homes due to war or persecution, migrants choose to move mainly for better economic opportunities or family reunification.) The influx of arrivals to Italy has prompted Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni to request help from the European Union to deal with the pressure.

Top Host Countries for Refugees in 2016

Rank Host Country Total Refugees Total Population
1 Turkey 2,869,421 80,745,020
2 Pakistan 1,352,560 197,015,955
3 Lebanon 1,012,969 6,082,357
4 Iran 979,435 81,162,788
5 Uganda 940,835 42,862,958
6 Ethiopia 791,631 104,957,438
7 Jordan 685,197 9,702,353
8 Germany 669,482 82,114,224
9 Democratic Republic of the Congo 451,956 81,339,988
10 Kenya 451,099 49,699,862
11 Sudan 421,466 40,533,330
12 Chad 391,251 14,899,994
13 Cameroon 375,415 24,053,727
14 China 317,255 1,410,000,000
15 France 304,546 64,979,548
16 Tanzania 281,498 57,310,019
17 Bangladesh 276,207 164,669,751
18 United States 272,959 324,459,463
19 Yemen 269,783 28,250,420
20 South Sudan 262,560 12,575,714
Sources: UNHCR Global Trends 2016, United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision, Key Findings and Advance Tables.
Methodology: Bloomberg ranked the nations by the number of refugees hosted in 2016 and showed the top 20. Includes people designated as refugees under UNHCR’s mandate.
Design & development: Christopher Cannon and Cedric Sam

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5 thoughts on “Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon Host the Highest Number of Refugees

  1. It is disheartening to have so much refugees worldwide with its’ attendant socio-economic and health implications the brew more social strife and spread of diseases. There will have long term yet unforetold long lasting consequences

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