Forcibly displaced people in South Sudan

South Sudan: Forcibly displaced people was 1.55 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
1.55 million
Change on year
up 6.0%
World rank
24th
of 180 countries
All-time high
2.18 million
in 2017
All-time low
455,113
in 2011
Years of data
15
2011–2025

Forcibly displaced people in South Sudan, 2011–2025

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2011201820252011: 455.1k2012: 552.6k2013: 612.6k2014: 1.7M2015: 2.0M2016: 2.1M2017: 2.2M2018: 2.2M2019: 1.7M2020: 1.8M2021: 1.7M2022: 1.8M2023: 1.5M2024: 1.5M2025: 1.6M

Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Analysis

South Sudan recorded 1.55 million for forcibly displaced people in 2025.

The figure is up 6.0% on the previous year and down 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in South Sudan peaked at 2.18 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 455,113, in 2011.

South Sudan ranks 24th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1.49 million 455,113 2.18 million 9
2020s 1.63 million 1.46 million 1.79 million 6

Countries ranked near South Sudan

  1. 21 Peru 1.74 million compare
  2. 22 Pakistan 1.69 million compare
  3. 23 Iran 1.65 million compare
  4. 25 Haiti 1.43 million compare
  5. 26 Cameroon 1.38 million compare
  6. 27 Iraq 1.34 million compare

See the full ranking of 227 places →

More social development data for South Sudan

All data for South Sudan →

Frequently asked questions

What is forcibly displaced people in South Sudan?
Forcibly displaced people in South Sudan was 1.55 million in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in South Sudan?
The highest recorded value was 2.18 million in 2017.
What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in South Sudan?
The lowest recorded value was 455,113 in 2011.
How does South Sudan rank for forcibly displaced people?
South Sudan ranks 24th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in South Sudan?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Sudan data come from?
The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Forcibly displaced people
Source
Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
227 places, 3,518 data points, 2010–2025
Last refreshed

Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.