As of the end of 2017 there was a “total population of concern” of 71.4 million people, comprising refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees and stateless persons, according to the UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council), the UN’s refugee agency.

The UNHRC estimated that 20 people were driven from their homes each minute in 2016, and that children account for half the total refugee numbers. The agency notes that roughly 25 million refugees travel a total of 2 billion kilometers (1.2 billion miles) annually to get to safety.

But many people fleeing or forced from their homes don’t venture too far, simply crossing borders and hoping for the best. Worldwide, developing nations host most refugees, straining already limited resources. People fleeing conflict in South Sudan in 2017 headed for neighboring countries, with more than a million going to Uganda, ranked among the poorest countries on Earth in 2018, and ranking No. 3 on the UN’s list of countries taking in the most refugees.

Almost a half million more South Sudanese entered Ethiopia, 18th on the poorest country ranking, and also among the top 10 countries in refugee population for 2017. The West African nation is also a destination for refugees from Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia.

Pakistan, with a per capita GDP of less than $1,300, took in about 1.4 million refugees from Afghanistan, giving it the second highest influx in the world for several years in a row. In 2018, South Sudan ranked in last place of the UN’s list of the 156 happiest nations, scoring low marks for per capita GDP, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices and more. Nevertheless, in 2017 South Sudan took in more than a quarter of a million people fleeing Sudan, making it No. 14 on the list of countries hosting refugees.

Bangladesh, Sudan, Chad, Yemen, Congo and other nations also receive population surges from troubled neighboring lands.

Among the 25 wealthiest countries on Earth, Germany (17th richest country in the world) takes in the most refugees. It appears numerous times on the UN’s list of countries of asylum, making its first appearance in ninth place for taking in almost a half million Syrians in 2017. Germany has also opened its doors to people fleeing Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, and elsewhere.

The United States, the 11th richest country and the 18th happiest, first appears on the UN’s list in the 44th slot, for receiving almost 75,000 Chinese refugees. Immigration continues to be among the most divisive issues in the U.S., and among the biggest news stories of the year.

Rank	Nation	Total Refugees	Largest Source of Refugees	Total Refugees from Largest Source County
50	Denmark	35,629	Syrian Arab Rep.	19,221
49	Greece	38,964	Syrian Arab Rep.	13,714
48	Angola	41,117	Dem. Rep. of the Congo	38,516
47	Zambia	41,266	Dem. Rep. of the Congo	34,928
46	Belgium	42,132	Syrian Arab Rep.	9,080
45	Australia	48,427	Afghanistan	10,922
44	Congo	48,494	Central African Rep.	26,403
43	Norway	59,192	Eritrea	15,456
42	Burundi	62,353	Dem. Rep. of the Congo	61,867
41	Afghanistan	75,927	Pakistan	75,893
40	Mauritania	77,412	Mali	49,829
39	South Africa	88,694	Somalia	26,977
38	Ecuador	92,344	Colombia	46,616
37	Switzerland	93,015	Eritrea	30,935
36	Algeria	94,247	Western Sahara	90,000
35	Malaysia	103,804	Myanmar	98,041
34	Netherlands	103,830	Syrian Arab Rep.	30,851
33	Thailand	104,589	Myanmar	99,982
32	Canada	104,756	Colombia	8,049
31	Austria	115,213	Syrian Arab Rep.	43,888
30	United Kingdom	121,774	Iran (Islamic Rep. of)	16,085
29	Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	122,782	Colombia	122,677
28	Russian Federation	125,998	Ukraine	123,600
27	Niger	165,719	Nigeria	108,470
26	Italy	167,288	Nigeria	18,026
25	Rwanda	170,984	Burundi	88,209
24	India	197,126	China	108,008
23	Egypt	232,625	Syrian Arab Rep.	126,688
22	Sweden	240,911	Syrian Arab Rep.	103,614
21	Yemen	270,902	Somalia	255,894
20	Iraq	277,667	Syrian Arab Rep.	247,057
19	South Sudan	283,400	Sudan	261,983
18	United States of America	287,093	China	74,476
17	United Rep. of Tanzania	308,528	Burundi	251,227
16	China	321,703	Viet Nam	321,502
15	France	337,147	Various/Unknown	86,381
14	Cameroon	337,375	Central African Rep.	248,843
13	Chad	411,464	Sudan	324,327
12	Kenya	431,888	Somalia	281,692
11	Dem. Rep. of the Congo	537,078	Rwanda	220,377
10	Jordan	691,010	Syrian Arab Rep.	653,031
9	Ethiopia	889,401	South Sudan	421,373
8	Sudan	906,585	South Sudan	772,715
7	Bangladesh	932,209	Myanmar	932,204
6	Germany	970,318	Syrian Arab Rep.	496,674
5	Iran (Islamic Rep. of)	979,435	Afghanistan	951,142
4	Lebanon	998,876	Syrian Arab Rep.	992,127
3	Uganda	1,350,495	South Sudan	1,037,412
2	Pakistan	1,393,132	Afghanistan	1,392,610
1	Turkey	3,480,330	Syrian Arab Rep.	3,424,237

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