Social Protection & Labor · High income
Yearly data from 2000 to 2025, from the World Bank.
High income's asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum was 5.76 million in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 298.31% from 1.45 million in 2015 (14.82% a year on average, compounded).
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 5.76 million | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 2.2 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 1.45 million | 2015 |
| Highest | 5.76 million | 2025 |
| Lowest | 379,610 | 2010 |
| Average since 2016 | 3.12 million | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 810,248 | 2000 |
Over five years it is up 161.94% from 2.2 million in 2020 (21.24% a year on average, compounded). Since 2000 it is up 611.17% from 810,248 in 2000 (8.16% a year on average, compounded).
In 2025, High income's asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum rose 9% on 2024 (from 5.28 million to 5.76 million).
Across the 24 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2024), the average change was +10.3% and a typical year strayed about 23% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 75.2% in 2015 and the biggest yearly fall was 26.2% in 2005. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 467,567 a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| High income | 5.76 million | 2025 |
| World | 9 million | 2025 |
Asylum-seekers are individuals who have sought international protection and whose claims for refugee status have not yet been determined. This includes those who are in various stages of the asylum process, such as initial application, appeal, or awaiting final decision. In specific contexts, asylum-seekers may also include those who are seeking protection under complementary forms of protection, and those enjoying temporary protection, but whose claims are still under consideration.
Limitations: Variability in national asylum procedures and processing times can lead to inconsistencies in data reporting, affecting the accuracy of cross-country comparisons. Unregistered asylum claims or informal border crossings may result in incomplete data, underestimating the true scope of the need for protection. Additionally, the changing status of individuals, such as those asylum-seekers that are recognized as refugees, complicates the tracking and categorization of data.
| Year | Asylum-seekers by country or territory of asylum |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,762,204 |
| 2024 | 5,284,810 |
| 2023 | 4,463,922 |
| 2022 | 3,353,598 |
| 2021 | 2,520,701 |
| 2020 | 2,199,797 |
| 2019 | 2,180,043 |
| 2018 | 1,954,688 |
| 2017 | 1,836,474 |
| 2016 | 1,693,043 |
| 2015 | 1,446,673 |
| 2014 | 825,640 |
| 2013 | 534,516 |
| 2012 | 407,797 |
| 2011 | 386,409 |
| 2010 | 379,610 |
| 2009 | 431,103 |
| 2008 | 400,991 |
| 2007 | 380,727 |
| 2006 | 408,098 |
| 2005 | 458,873 |
| 2004 | 622,078 |
| 2003 | 767,959 |
| 2002 | 901,139 |
| 2001 | 800,947 |
| 2000 | 810,248 |
Every indicator for High income is on the High income data page.
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SM.POP.ASYS.EA, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), uri: https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/download Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in