Statistical Review

Statistical Data On Iranian Refugees 1 and asylum seekers2

(last updated September 2012)

At the end of 2011, based on data received or estimated by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Iranian refugees was 72,347 of which 12,031 were assisted by the UNHCR mostly in Iraq (8,229). According to the same source at the end of this year there were 42.5 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, including 10.4 million refugees who fall under UNHCR’s mandate, some 4.8 million Palestinian refugees under the responsibility of the U. N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and 26.4 million people displaced within their country as a result of armed conflict.


Iranian refugees (2001-2011)

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

86,286

137,948

132,491

115,149

98,722

102,483

68,397

69,061

72,773

68,791

72,347

Assisted by UNHCR

26,063

22,704

21,934

12,122

15,783

14,353

14,120

13,851

15,097

10,721

12,031


During 2011, 24,812 applications (first instance, appeal, etc) for asylum or refugee status were submitted by Iranians to Governments or UNHCR offices. During the same year, applications submitted by all nationalities in 166 countries amounted to 895,000.


Asylum Applications Filed by Iranians (2001-2011)

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

All countries

23,600

17,929

18,250

15,519

13,532

13,401

14,120

13, 329

15, 890

19,004

24,812

Industrialized countries

20,075

14,668

16,323

12,414

9,191

10,649

8,703

10,813

11,479

14,370

14,370


Applications filed by Iranians in Industrialized Countries (1982-2011)

Total: 484,245

In 2011, the six destination countries that received the largest numbers of new applications from Iranians were Turkey (3,411),Germany (3,352), the United Kingdom (3,045), Australia (2,156), Sweden (1,118), and the Netherlands (929). Nine countries receiving most of the new asylum applications from all nationalities were South Africa (107,000), United States (76,000), France (52,100), Germany (45,700), Italy (34,100), Sweden (29,600), Belgium (26,000), UK (25,500), and Canada (25,000).

Eleven main destination countries of new asylum applications from Iran (2001-2011)

United Kingdom, Turkey/UNHCR, Germany, Sweden,the Netherlands, Belgium, USA, Austria, Norway, Cyprus, and Canada


2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Total

UK

3,415

2,685

3,495

3,975

3,480

2,675

2,510

2,585

2,130

2,210

3,045

32,205

TUR/U

3,385

2,505

3,092

2,029

1,716

2,297

1,687

2,116

1,198

2,881

3,411

27,100

GFR

3,455

2,642

2,053

1,369

916

609

616

815

1,170

2,475

3,352

19,472

SWE

780

762

787

660

582

494

485

799

1,144

1,182

1,118

8,793

NET

1,519

663

555

450

557

921

187

322

502

785

929

7,390

USA

944

880

654

421

337

388

303

334

344

494

590

5,689

BEL

1,164

743

1,153

512

497

631

411

614

732

261

261

6,461

AUS

734

760

981

347

306

274

248

250

340

387

457

5,084

NOR

412

450

621

394

279

218

222

720

574

429

355

4,674

CYP

687

388

465

668

569

305

475

213

171

118

68

4,127

CAN

768

381

308

342

343

237

220

267

310

327

319

3,822



Five top destination countries of new asylum applications from Iran (2001-2011)

United Kingdom, Turkey/UNHCR, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

Of 23,261 decisions taken on Iranian asylum applications in 2011, including cases from previous years, some10,025 resulted in refugee status, 972 decisions resulted in humanitarian status, 8,912 cases were rejected, and 3,353 cases were closed on other grounds. When cases closed on other non-substantive grounds are excluded, the global refugee recognition percentage for Iranian asylum applicants during 2011 amounted to 50.4%, whereas the total recognition percentage, including grants of humanitarian status, amounted to 55.2%.

In total, the global refugee recognition rate for all nationalities in 2011 amounted to 30%. When asylum-seekers allowed to remain on humanitarian grounds are included, the recognition rate was 38%.

Total recognition percentages (2001-2011) (refugee status/refugee & humanitarian status)

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Iranians

29/34

28/33

27/30

23/27

21/28

30/37

33/41

36/44

37/44

44/49

50/55

All Nationalities

24/36

22/30

21/27

21/29

27/37

28/39

32/45

29/41

38/47

30/39

30/38


Some examples of first instance total recognition rates (refugee & humanitarian) for Iranian applications in 2011 were: Australia (58%), Austria (74%), Canada (88%),France (67%), Germany (56%), Netherlands (47%), Sweden (37%), Turkey-UNHCR (95%), UK (49%), and USA-INS (97%).

First instance recognition percentages (refugee & humanitarian) in 10 main destination countries of new asylum seekers from Iran (2001-2011)


2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

UK

17

n/a

9

9

14

17

24

27

20

32

49

TUR/U*

(70)70

(72)n/a

(79)84

(75)53

(67)78

(90)82

(88)91

85

84

95

95

GFR

21

19

11

12

17

18

27

29

52

55

56

SWE

37

15

10

7

16

29

30

24

23

24

37

BEL

n/a

n/a

n/a

9

20

24

14

15

31

35

43

NET

8

8

25

34

41

33

46

44

45

51

47

USA-INS

71

n/a

48

54

49

55

63

74

98

97

97

AUS

n/a

n/a

62

79

87

78

89

73

63

63

74

NOR

n/a

n/a

25

n/a

20

19

26

38

12

22

32

CYP

n/a

n/a

1

n/a

12

12

n/a

7

6

8

32

CAN

70

66

67

68

84

84

84

92

90

81

88

* Figures in parenthesis are from UNHCR-Turkey. All other figures are from the Statistical Unit of UNHCR Headquarters.


During 2011, a total of 79,800 refugees were admitted by 22 resettlement countries, including the United States of America (51,500), Canada (12,900), Australia (9,200), Sweden (1,900), and Norway (1,300). Some 62,000 who were resettled with UNHCR’s assistance were mostly from Bhutan (18,100), Myanmar (17,900), Iraq (8,900), and Somalia (4,800).

In 2011, 1,931 Iranians were resettled including from Turkey (1,815) and Iraq (26) in various countries with UNHCR’s assistance. In addition to Iranians referred to the United States by the UNHCR in Turkey, the United States also resettled Iranian religious minorities as persons of special concern who applied directly to the U.S. program for refugee processing in Austria. xx,543 Iranians were admitted to the U.S. as refugees in FY 2011.

UNHCR assisted resettlement of Iranian refugees (2001-2011)


2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

total

3,502

2,831

2673

2191

1223

1501

1688

1,285

1,696

1,283

1,931

Turkey

2,209

2,349

2,560

2,032

1,083

1,421

1,546

1,190

1,575

1,210

1,815

Iraq

752

314


47

22

-

-

95

35

18

26

Pakistan

579

378

66

39

54

15

-

-

-

-

-

other

166

102

74

58

103

80

142

-

86

55

90


Iranians resettled in the United States (FY 1983-2011)

83-98

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2010

42,957

1,737

5,099

6,581

1,525

2,471

1,787

1,856

2,792

5,481

5,270

5,381

3,543

2,032


Sources:

UNHCR- Global Trends 2011 , 2012

UNHCR- Global Trends 2010 , July 2011

2009 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons , 15 June 2010

2008 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons , 16 June 2009

2007 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons , 17 June 2008

2006 Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Persons (revised 16 July 2007) ,16 July 2007

2005 Global Refugee Trends: Statistical overview of populations of refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, and other persons of concern to UNHCR , 9 June 2006

2004 Global Refugee Trends: Overview of refugee populations, new arrivals, durable solutions, asylum seekers and other persons of concern to UNHCR , 17 June 2005

2003 Global Refugee Trends: Overview of refugee populations, new arrivals, durable solutions, asylum seekers and other persons of concern to UNHCR , 15 June 2004

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2007 , 31 December 2008

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2006 , 15 January 2008

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2005 , 5 August 2007

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2004 , 21 August 2005

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2003 , 15 June 2005

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2002 ,2 September 2004

UNHCR Statistical Yearbook 2001 , 09 November 2002

Refugees and Others of Concern to UNHCR: Statistical Overview - first quarter 2000, 31 May 2000

Refugees and Others of Concern to UNHCR - 1999 Statistical Overview , 1 July 2000

US Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics , Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2008

Office of Refugee Resettlement, Annual ORR Reports to Congress , 2002

Refugee Admissions Program for Near East and South Asia, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Fact Sheet, February 6, 2009

United States Department of State, FY 2012 Congressional Presentaion, 2011



1 Refugees include individuals recognized under the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees; its 1967 Protocol; those recognized in accordance with the UNHCR Statute; individuals granted complementary forms of protection; or, those enjoying “temporary protection”.

2 Asylum-seekers are individuals who have sought international protection and whose claims for refugee status have not yet been determined.