Chapter 2
1.25 per cent of the global gross domestic product.21
These nations already face severe structural barriers
to sustainable development, and usually have the
least resources to respond to the needs of people
seeking refuge.22 Altogether, nine of the top ten
refugee-hosting countries were in developing regions
(according to the United Nations Statistics Division
classification) and 84 per cent of refugees lived in
these countries.23
As has been the case since 2014, Turkey was the
country hosting the largest refugee population, with
3.7 million at the end of 2018, up from 3.5 million in
December 2017 [Figure 6]. The vast majority of
refugees in Turkey were from Syria with 3,622,400
making up more than 98 per cent of the entire refugee
population. In 2018, there were 397,600 newly
registered Syrian refugees and 113,100 newborns in
Turkey. In addition, there were 39,100 refugees from
Iraq, as well as smaller numbers from the Islamic
Republic of Iran (8,700) and Afghanistan (6,600).24
At the end of 2018, Pakistan hosted the second
largest refugee population with 1.4 million refugees.
This population is similar in size to that reported at the
end of 2017 with the addition of newborns balanced
out by reductions mainly due to returns. The refugee
population in Pakistan continued to be almost
exclusively from Afghanistan.25
Uganda continued to host a large refugee population,
numbering 1,165,700 at the end of 2018, a decline
from the 1,350,500 reported at the end of 2017. While
Uganda continued to receive new refugee arrivals
throughout the year, this decline was mainly due to a
verification exercise undertaken between March and
October 2018. Uganda was host to refugee
populations from several countries, the largest being
from South Sudan (with 788,800 at the end of 2018),
followed by DRC (303,100). There were also sizeable
populations of refugees from Burundi (32,500),
Somalia (18,800) and Rwanda (14,000).
The refugee population in Sudan increased by
about 19 per cent over the course of 2018 to just
18
over 1 million, with Sudan becoming the country
with the fourth largest refugee population. Most
refugees were from South Sudan (852,100),
followed by Eritrea (114,500), Syria (93,500),
CAR (7,000) and Ethiopia (6,000).
During 2018, the refugee population in Germany
continued to increase, numbering 1,063,800 at the
end of the year. More than half were from Syria
(532,100), while other countries of origin included
Iraq (136,500), Afghanistan (126,000), Eritrea (55,300),
the Islamic Republic of Iran (41,200), Turkey (24,000),
Somalia (23,600), Serbia and Kosovo (S/RES/1244
(1999)) (9,200), the Russian Federation (8,100),
Pakistan (7,500) and Nigeria (6,400).
The registered refugee population in the Islamic
Republic of Iran, the sixth largest refugee-hosting
country, remained unchanged at 979,400 at the end
of 2018.26 The vast majority were from Afghanistan
(951,100), with a smaller number from Iraq (28,300).
The refugee population in Lebanon also declined
slightly, mainly due to data reconciliation,
deregistration, and departures for resettlement.
However, Lebanon still hosted nearly 1 million
refugees at the end of 2018 (949,700), compared
with 998,900 at the end of 2017. Most refugees in
Lebanon were from Syria (944,200), with an
additional 4,500 from Iraq.
21 International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database,
April 2019. 2018 estimates for current prices nominal GDP. imf.org/
external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/index.aspx
22 See: unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ for a list of Least
Developed Countries.
23 See: unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/ for a list of countries
included under each region.
24 The numbers reported on nationalities other than Syrian
relate to numbers from UNHCR as of 10 September 2018. As
of this date, UNHCR Turkey phased out its role in registering
foreigners wishing to apply for international protection and the
Government of Turkey moved to a fully decentralized procedure
for all individuals seeking international protection. The numbers
of new arrivals and births among Syrians were reported by the
Government of Turkey.
25 Pakistan hosted large numbers of undocumented Afghans.
26 The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran registers all
refugees in the country. With the exception of refugees in
settlements, UNHCR has most recently received only the
aggregate number of refugees from the Government in May 2015.
unhcr > Global trends 2018