In this article, we will take a look at 20 Countries with the Most Refugees in the U.S. You can skip our detailed analysis and go directly to the 5 Countries with the Most Refugees in the U.S.
Fleeing one’s home, with or without family members, and leaving behind prized possessions and a life, is a traumatic experience that millions of people go through every year. Amidst the plethora of bleak realities of life, the existence of millions of refugees stands as another sad fact. The forceful displacement of people has existed in the past, persists to this day, and will likely continue until the end of times. Both the US law and the United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention (an international agreement signed by 149 countries to protect refugees) define refugees as individuals seeking entry into another country who can prove they have been persecuted or fear persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
Refugees: A Global Overview
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), by mid-2023, 110 million people had been forcibly displaced due to ‘persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations, or events seriously disturbing public order.’ Among these, 36.4 million are refugees. Remarkably, 52% of all refugees and individuals in need of international protection hail from just three countries: the Syrian Arab Republic (6.5 million), Afghanistan (6.1 million), and Ukraine (5.9 million). It’s noteworthy that 3.4 million of these refugees are hosted by two Muslim-majority countries, namely The Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey. Following closely are Germany, hosting 2.5 million refugees, Colombia with just under 2.5 million refugees (including others in need of international protection), and Pakistan with 2.1 million refugees. Also check out our article 20 Most Refugee-Hosting Countries in the World for a detailed outlook.
Another troubling statistic is the number of children born as refugees, which reached 1.9 million (with 385,000 children born as refugees annually from 2019 to 2022). Furthermore, it was observed that the majority (69%) of refugees and individuals in need of protection relocated to neighboring countries, with low and middle-income countries accommodating 75% of these individuals. On a positive note, 463,500 refugees returned to their home countries in the first half of 2023.
Refugees in the US
As the world’s leading country resettling refugees, the United States has been welcoming them for decades. The country has provided assistance to approximately 650,000 displaced individuals from Europe after World War II, as well as people fleeing communist regimes in Europe and Asia during the Cold War, among others. Some US states, such as Texas, California, and New York, have accepted the largest numbers of refugees.
In 1980, the government established a permanent standardized system for identifying, vetting, and resettling refugees, known as the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). However, the number of refugees admitted to the country has seen a decline from 200,000 in 1980 to 60,014 in 2023. The figures have fluctuated sharply over the years, depending on the prevailing strategies of the time. For instance, the 9/11 attacks led to a suspension of refugee admissions for several months. The ceilings for admission have also changed according to the administration and the global conditions. While President Obama’s administration increased the ceiling to 110,000 in 2017 following the crises in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Trump administration reduced it to 50,000 in 2017 and further down to 18,000 for 2020. However, the Biden administration has reversed these previous ceilings and set the cap at 125,000 for fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
Big US Companies Stepping-Up
At the 2022 Tent Business Summit, 45 major companies and brands, including Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HLT), PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE), and Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) pledged to hire and train 22,725 refugees for full-time positions in the US.
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced plans to hire 5,000 refugees over three years, while Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) committed to hiring 2,500, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HLT) to 1,500, and both PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) to 500 each. These collective efforts are expected to generate $913 million in income for refugees. Amazon’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) VP of Employee Relations, WW Amazon Stores and Corporate, emphasized the importance of diversity within the company and expressed their commitment to hiring individuals in need.
20 Countries with the Most Refugees in the U.S.
Methodology
To compile our list of the 20 Countries with the Most Refugees in the US, we examined data from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics and the U.S. Department of State’s report on ‘Refugee Arrivals by Region and Country of Nationality: Fiscal Years 2013 to 2022.’ We focused on figures from the year 2022 and organized our list in an ascending order.
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Let us now take a look at our list for 20 Countries with the Most Refugees in the U.S.
20. Central African Republic
Number of Refugee Arrival: 181
A landlocked country in the heart of Africa, the Central African Republic has been besieged by armed conflict and instability for years. Additionally, it is considered one of the poorest states in the world. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), as of 2023, more than 1.4 million people in the Central African Republic have been displaced from their homes, which accounts for about one-third of the country’s population. Since 2013, armed conflict between various groups has forced many residents (more than 640,000) to flee the country, while approximately 630,000 have been displaced internally. Some have sought refuge in neighboring countries, while others have migrated to the US.
19. Armenia
Number of Refugee Arrival: 198
For a long time, Armenians have been immigrating to the US and settling, primarily in California. Historical events such as the Hamidian massacre of the mid-1890s, the Adana Massacre of 1909, and the Armenian genocide of 1915-1918 have contributed to this migration. More recently, factors such as war defeats and poor economic conditions in the country have compelled many to leave their homes. Many have found their way to the US, making them one of the countries with most refugees in the US.
18. Burundi
Number of Refugee Arrival: 219
An East Central African country with a population of 12.2 million, thousands have fled their country to avoid persecution due to their political beliefs. The refugee crisis began in 2015 following political unrest between civilians and the government. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), approximately 333,700 refugees have sought a safe haven in various countries, including the US. In 2015, 1,218 Burundi refugees arrived in the US. However, this figure steadily decreased until 2020, after which it began to increase once more.
17. Colombia
Number of Refugee Arrival: 254
For over 40 years, millions of Colombians have been forced to flee their country due to ongoing conflict. The war between the Colombian government, guerrilla groups like FARC and ELN, paramilitaries, and narco-traffickers has resulted in the loss of 50,000 to 200,000 lives. Additionally, it has internally displaced 3.5 million people and caused 500,000 to 750,000 Colombian refugees in neighboring countries. Some have sought refuge in the US, with their numbers fluctuating over the years.
16. Iran
Number of Refugee Arrival: 258
The 1979 revolution sparked the largest wave of Iranians leaving the country. The Iran-Iraq war and subsequent failed political reforms further worsened the situation. In the past decade, people have been compelled to seek refuge in other countries due to political oppression, social unrest, and religious persecution, leading to reports of many unaccompanied children fleeing to Europe. Refugees are also seeking asylum in the US, making it one of the countries with the highest number of Iranian refugees. While refugee arrivals were much higher in the years 2013-2017, they have since decreased.
15. Ethiopia
Number of Refugee Arrival: 266
Ethiopia is another country that has contributed a significant number of refugees to the US. The 1980 Refugee Act marked the beginning of Ethiopians moving to the US, largely driven by the repressive regime of Mariam. Additionally, many Ethiopians who had previously migrated to Sudan also sought relocation to the US. The number of refugees arriving in the country has fluctuated over the years, with a slower rate of arrivals depicted in recent years.
14. South Sudan
Number of Refugee Arrival: 290
The largest refugee crisis in Africa and the third-largest in the world, approximately 2.4 million South Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries, while 2.3 million are internally displaced, as of July 2023, according to the UNHCR. This crisis has primarily been triggered by civil wars in the country, along with economic decline, disease, and hunger. Sudanese refugees have been accepted into the US since 2001 and continue to arrive to this day, becoming one of the country with the most refugees in the US.
13. Eritrea
Number of Refugee Arrival: 317
Eritrea has long been recognized as one of the most repressive countries globally, characterized by the denial of basic rights such as freedom of speech and religion, as well as compulsory mass conscription for individuals aged 18-50. Consequently, according to UNHCR, as of June 2023, there are approximately 580,000 Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers worldwide. The UN Refugee Agency has played a significant role in resettling many Eritrean refugees in the US. Although arrivals have tapered off in recent years, the country has experienced significant influxes at times. For instance, around 1,900 refugees arrived in the US in both 2016 and 2017.
12. Honduras
Number of Refugee Arrival: 447
According to the US Customs and Border Protection, Honduras is among the countries contributing the highest number of refugees to the southern US border. Several factors contribute to this movement, including natural disasters such as droughts and floods, as well as issues like corruption, poverty, and lawlessness in the country. In 2022, there was a significant increase in the number of Honduran refugees arriving in the US– 447 compared to 83 in 2021.
11. Somalia
Number of Refugee Arrival: 491
The Somali refugee crisis stands as one of the largest mass displacements witnessed globally. For over thirty years, individuals from Somalia have fled to neighboring areas, primarily due to political instability, the civil war in the 1990s, and conflicts such as the one in the city of Laascaanood. According to UNHCR, approximately 714,390 Somali refugees and asylum seekers are living in nearby countries. A large number of these refugees have also sought refuge in the US. While the number of arrivals has declined in recent years, Somalia remains one of the countries with the highest number of refugees in the US.
10. Iraq
Number of Refugee Arrival: 501
The 2003 US invasion resulted in approximately 1 in 25 Iraqis being displaced, a situation exacerbated by the terrorist attacks of the Islamic State. According to UNHCR, as of April 2023, about 1.2 million Iraqis have been displaced. Many Iraqis have sought refuge in the US as refugees, with numbers as high as slightly over 19,000 in both 2013 and 2014. However, the numbers have steadily decreased over the years.
9. Moldova
Number of Refugee Arrival: 511
The civil war of 1992 resulted in the displacement of many Moldovans internally and as refugees across various countries. While some returned after the conflict ended, their integration into society was largely ignored by the government. Moldovan refugees have been arriving in the US for quite some time, with their numbers fluctuating. There was a substantial increase from 75 in 2021 to 511 in 2022.
8. El Salvador
Number of Refugee Arrival: 524
El Salvador has endured prolonged organized crime, violence, poverty, and numerous socioeconomic challenges, compounded by natural disasters and the recent Ukraine situation. As a result, many people have been forced to flee the country in search of a better future for their next generation, often ending up at the southern border of the US. A significant surge in refugee arrivals was recorded by the US government in 2017, after which the number has steadily declined.
7. Guatemala
Number of Refugee Arrival: 1,084
The deteriorating situation in the country across various aspects is driving refugee arrivals in the US. The presence of violence and worsening socioeconomic conditions, exacerbated by poverty and climate shocks, has made life in the country very challenging for some people, compelling them to seek refuge at the US southern border. Since 2016, their annual arrivals have been on the rise, reaching an all-time high of 1,084 registered in 2022.
6. Ukraine
Number of Refugee Arrival: 1,586
The February 2024 war in Ukraine has led to devastating consequences, displacing 3.7 million people internally and creating 6.5 million refugees spread across neighboring countries. Ukrainian refugees have also been arriving in the US. While the number steadily rose to an all-time high in 2020, registering 4,432 refugees, it began to decline before escalating once more in 2022.
Click to continue reading and see our 5 Countries with the Most Refugees in the U.S.
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Disclosure: None. 20 Countries with the Most Refugees in the U.S. is originally published on Insider Monkey.