South Sudan hosts 658,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, UNHCR says

Credit: UNHCR

South Sudan is hosting about 658,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, while more than 1.99 million South Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers remain displaced in neighboring countries, according to UNHCR figures as of July 31, 2026.

The UN refugee agency said Sudan accounts for the overwhelming majority of refugees living in South Sudan, with 618,999 people, followed by refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Central African Republic.

The figures show that Sudanese refugees make up about 96% of the refugee population in South Sudan. Other refugees come from Burundi, Uganda, Somalia, Rwanda and Chad.

Uganda hosts the largest number of South Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers, with 1,058,006 people, followed by Sudan with 682,156, Ethiopia with 483,769, Kenya with 210,670 and the Democratic Republic of Congo with 90,597.

The UNHCR data also shows that South Sudan continues to face significant internal displacement. The report records about 1.0 million conflict-induced internally displaced people and approximately 91,000 people displaced by natural disasters.

At the same time, about 945,000 South Sudanese returnees were recorded in 2026, reflecting continued movements of people back into the country.

The population figures are part of UNHCR’s regional monitoring of the South Sudan situation and cover refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced people and returnees.

UNHCR said the figures were compiled from government, UNHCR and International Organization for Migration data.