There are about 2.3 million refugees from South Sudan. Violence, food shortage, and deteriorating conditions have been pushing the South Sudanese population to emigrate. In addition to refugees, there are thousands of internally displaced persons and asylum seekers. Most of them are in Uganda, which hosts nearly 41 percent of all refugees from South Sudan.

Historical dataset showing South Sudan refugee statistics by year from 2011 to 2023.

South Sudan hosted around *** thousand refugees as of October 2021. Of these, over *** thousand individuals arrived in the country fleeing the neighboring Sudan. The state of Upper Nile hosted the largest number of refugees in South Sudan, with *** thousand people. Unity State, also known as Western Upper Nile, counted *** thousand refugees. The government of South Sudan has adopted an open-door policy for refugees, particularly for Sudanese, Ethiopian Anuaks, and Congolese. South Sudan experiences Africa’s biggest refugee crisis - and the third-largest in the world. Since the outbreak of the South Sudanese war in 2013, almost **** million people have been displaced in the country.

Abstract

The South Sudan situation is currently the largest refugee situation on the African continent. There are over 2.2 million refugees spread across Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR) a further 1.8 million people are displaced internally in South Sudan. An estimated 140,000 South Sudanese spontaneously returnees are reported to have returned to South Sudan from November 2018 to date.

The South Sudan situation continues to be characterized as a children's tragedy with children constituting over 65 percent of the refugee population. The Revitalised Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) foresees the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) with all the parties in agreement including the leader of the SPLA IO and first vice president by May 2019.

In November 2018, it was agreed during the Kampala Representatives meeting that intention surveys should be conducted for South Sudanese refugees in all countries of asylum. This was further concretized in March 2019, during the EHA/GLR planning meeting; here it was decided that UNHCR country representations of CAR, Kenya, Uganda, DRC, Sudan, Ethiopia would ensure that a rapid intention survey of South Sudanese refugees in their respective asylum countries is carried out before May 2019, in line with the agreed calendar of the R-ARCSS

The Intention Survey was a cross-sectional survey conducted among the over 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees living in six countries of asylum using a stratified random sampling approach to survey 6,964 refugees (heads of households) in 15 camps selected across the region. In each location, sample size estimation assumed a 95 per cent confidence level, and a margin of error of 7 per cent; sample was drawn taking into account the location, place of origin, ethnicity, year of arrival to the country of asylum and gender of the head of household. The confidence intervals were taken into consideration in all the tables and analysis. Security, access and logistical constraints restricted sampling in some locations, therefore weighting was applied to adjust for unequal selection probabilities in each of the 15 locations. The findings of this report are representative of the return intentions of refugee households in these 15 camps. Data was collected through in-person interviews using a harmonised survey that was conducted concurrently in the six countries in May 2019 with a mobile data collection tool (KoBo Toolkit). Questionnaires were administered to consenting refugees aged 12 years and above. Children below 12 years of age were excluded from the survey.

Geographic coverage

South Sudanese Refugees in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of The Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda

Analysis unit

Households

Universe

South Sudanese Refugees in Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of The Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The Intention Survey was a cross-sectional survey conducted among the over 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees living in six countries of asylum using a stratified random sampling approach to survey 6,964 refugees (heads of households) in 15 camps selected across the region. In each location, sample size estimation assumed a 95 per cent confidence level, and a margin of error of 7 per cent; sample was drawn taking into account the location, place of origin, ethnicity, year of arrival to the country of asylum and gender of the head of household. The confidence intervals were taken into consideration in all the tables and analysis. Security, access and logistical constraints restricted sampling in some locations, therefore weighting was applied to adjust for unequal selection probabilities in each of the 15 locations. The findings of this report are representative of the return intentions of refugee households in these 15 camps. Data was collected through in-person interviews using a harmonised survey that was conducted concurrently in the six countries in May 2019 with a mobile data collection tool (KoBo Toolkit). Questionnaires were administered to consenting refugees aged 12 years and above. Children below 12 years of age were excluded from the survey. Analysis was performed using R Statistical Programming Software (version 3.5.3) and STATA 14.0.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Abstract

The Regional Bureau for East, and Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes (EHAGL) region initiated a survey in 2021 to map the intentions of South Sudanese and Sudanese refugees residing in four countries of asylum: Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan. The main objective of the survey is to assess the intention of, and impediments to, refugees returning to their place of origin or habitual places of residence in their respective countries of origin. The targeted population was South Sudanese and Sudanese refugees arrived in asylum countries from 1 January 2014 onwards, from which data was collected through key informants interviews and household questionnaires. All participating countries used the same questionnaire. Data collection was conducted concurrently between November 2021 and July 2022 in the four countries, using Kobo Toolkit. This dataset is the anonymized version of the original data.

Geographic coverage

Nationally representative of registered refugee population in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan

Analysis unit

Households

Universe

All registered refugee households in Uganda, Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling approach aimed to generate a random and representative sample of the overall population of South Sudan and Sudan refugees in four countries of asylum i.e., Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and South Sudan, with 95% confidence level and 5% margin of error. The representative sample of the population was calculated based on the number of registered households, not the number of individuals. The total number of households was obtained from UNHCR’s registration database, proGres. The specific households to be surveyed were then identified using systematic random sampling until the sample size was attained for each location. Then, one individual respondent from the identified households will be selected through simple random sampling. The respondent spoke on their own behalf and not on behalf of the household

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Abstract

Between February and March 2021, UNHCR and WFP undertook an assessment of refugees from South Sudan in the sites of Biringi (Ituri province), Bele and Meri (Haut Uélé province) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The objective of the assessment was to update the basic knowledge on the humanitarian needs of the whole South Sudanese refugee population in these sites to inform programmatic decisions and assess the relevance of a harmonized humanitarian targetting strategy based on level of vulnerability.

The assessment was carried out jointly by UNHCR and WFP. All refugee households in all sites were interviewed, consisting of 8,630 households. This dataset represents an anonymous version of the original dataset. A 20% random sample of the original dataset was drawn as part of the anonymization. The sample was stratified by site (Mele, Beri and Biringi). The variable survey_weight provide the final weights.

Geographic coverage

Biringi (Ituri province), Bele and Meri (Haut Uélé province) refugee camps.

Analysis unit

Households

Universe

Refugees from South Sudan living in sites of Biringi (Ituri province), Bele and Meri (Haut Uélé province) refugee camps.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The original dataset was a full enumeration. The anonymous data published on the Microdata Library is a stratified random sample of the original dataset, stratified by camp (camp).

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

South Sudan hosts around *** thousand refugees. The most frequent country of origin of refugees in South Sudan is Sudan. As of October 2021, there were over *** thousand refugees from this neighboring country. Other three countries bordering South Sudan are among the most common origins of refugees, namely the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. People from the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for around **** thousand refugees by the end of October 2021. The government has adopted an open-door policy for refugees, particularly for Sudanese, Ethiopian Anuaks, and Congolese people. South Sudan has Africa’s biggest and world’s third largest refugee crisis. Since the outbreak of the South Sudanese Civil War in 2013, almost four million South Sudanese have been displaced.

View yearly updates and historical trends for South Sudan Refugee Arrivals. Source: Office of Homeland Security Statistics. Track economic data with YChar…

Sudan hosts over ******* refugees and asylum-seekers. South Sudanese are the majority. Other common countries of origin include the neighboring countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia, the Central African Republic, and Chad. However, people fleeing from wars in Syria and Yemen are also pushed to find safety in Sudan. Nonetheless, the Sudanese are also victims of violence and persecution, and that has led many to escape to other neighboring countries. Since the start of the latest civil war in April of 2023, Sudan's internally displaced persons have increased to over **** million, while around *** million have fled the country by mid-year 2024. Internally displaced persons are persons who are forced to leave their house but remain within their country's borders.

Information about asylum applications lodged in 38 European and 6 non-European countries. Data are broken down by month and origin. Where possible, figures exclude repeat/re-opened asylum applications and applications lodged on appeal or with courts. For some countries, the monthly data are available since 1999 while for others at a later period.

Abstract

The Forced Displacement Survey (FDS) is UNHCR’s new flagship household survey programme designed to standardize, streamline, and build on the existing UNHCR survey landscape to produce high-quality and timely data on people forced to flee. The FDS is comparable across countries over time and aligned with international statistical standards. And it has the purpose of providing actionable evidence to inform the government’s operational and policy-related data needs, as well as its humanitarian and development partners.

As a multi-topic survey, the FDS collected household and individual level data on the socioeconomic characteristics and living conditions of targeted populations. Data was collected through face-to-face household interviews, where up to four household members aged 15 and above were interviewed: (1) the head of the household or a household member who was knowledgeable about the household; (2) a randomly selected household member who provided information about individual life experiences; (3) the caregiver of a randomly selected child under five years of age; and (4) a randomly selected woman who gave birth in the last two years.

South Sudan was the 1st pilot country where FDS has been implement. South Sudan hosted refugees since its independence in 2011, despite facing multiple social challenges and internal conflicts. By April 2024 South Sudan hosted 450,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, and other countries.

The FDS in South Sudan collected data on a nationally representative sample of registered refugees and on a sample of the national population living in proximity of refugees located in the north of South Sudan. Data collection occurred between April and December 2023. The final realized sample of the FDS in South Sudan was composed of around 3,000 households, all located in rural areas. Among them, 68 per cent are refugee households and 32 per cent belong to host communities.

Analysis unit

Household and individual

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

FDS survey features up to 4 distinct interviews and aims to represent their respective populations: •Refugee households, •Adults aged 15 and over, •Children under the age of 5 and •Women who gave birth within 2 years prior to the interview. The microdata features weights to correctly represent these populations.

The sampling design identified 5 distinctive sampling strata: •Refugees in Pariang county •Refugees in Mabane county •Refugees in Central Equatoria, West Equatoria and Jonglei •Hosts in Pariang county •Hosts in Mabane county

The main sampling principle assumed equal sample size for each identified stratum. Due to late changes in the survey design oversampling of refugees in Pariang and Mabane county was introduced in order to achieve more analytical power at the levels below the identified strata.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Sudan hosts over *********** refugees and asylum seekers. As of ************, about ** percent of them were living outside of refugee camps. The majority of refugees and asylum seekers are South Sudanese. Other common countries of origin include the neighboring countries of Eritrea, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Chad. However, people fleeing from wars in Syria and Yemen are also pushed to find safety in Sudan. Nonetheless, the Sudanese are also victims of violence and persecution, and that has led many to escape to other neighboring countries.

As of May 2024, Uganda hosted roughly *** million refugees. Of the total, around ** percent came from neighboring South Sudan. The Democratic Republic of the Congo ranked as the second leading origin of refugees living in Uganda. Approximately ******* Congolese citizens have searched for asylum in the bordering country so far. Uganda houses the highest number of individuals forcibly displaced in Africa as well as some of the largest refugee populations worldwide. Refugees hosted in Uganda Adjumani and Yumbe, northern Uganda districts, housed roughly one-third of the total refugees that sought asylum in the country. With a host population of approximately ******* people, the Yumbe district accounted for ** percent of all refugees in Uganda. Adjumani’s population consisted of nearly half residents and half refugees. Refugee flows in Africa Over ***** million refugees lived in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2021. The region has one of the largest refugee populations globally. In the last decade, the number of refugees living in Africa soared, mainly comprised of Africans fleeing to neighboring countries. The reasons for fleeing home were varied, ranging from internal conflicts to poverty and environmental disasters.

This page presents information on resettlement arrivals of refugees, with or without UNHCR assistance. This dataset is based on Government statistics and, in principle, excludes humanitarian admissions.

This infographics is about South sudanese Refugees situation and needs. It also shown UNICEF targets/results and Funding as of 31 July 2017

Dashboard about UNICEF Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda response for the South Sudanese refugees - Needs and Response - 30 June 2017

Individual and household characteristics in two refugee evaluation units, White Nile State, Sudan, 2017.

Worldwide, the Kutupalong Expansion Site in Bangladesh was the largest refugee camp, hosting nearly *********** refugees. Most of its refugee population is Rohingya, who have fled from neighboring Myanmar after years of persecution and a genocide that started in 2016. Violent conflicts in East Africa Some of the largest refugee camps in the world are located in East Africa. This is no surprise as violent conflicts in Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have forced millions to flee their countries. Many refugees do not end up in refugee camps, but are forced to reside on the outskirts of towns, while others take the dangerous route towards Europe or North America. Africa is also the continent in the world with the second highest number of registered refugees, behind Europe, including Turkey. Increasing number of refugees After being relatively stable through the 2000s, the number of refugees in the world has increased since 2012. This is strongly connected to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, and as a result, the highest number of refugees in the world is from Syria. Moreover, the Russia-Ukraine war since February 2022, the Taliban retaking power in Afghanistan in 2021, and the civil war in Sudan have increased the global refugee count.

Demographics of examined participants, White Nile State, Sudan, 2017.

Number of respondents interviewed by district and refugee status.