Muslim majority countries host millions of refugees

We’ve spotted claims circulating online that “none of the 56 Muslim countries are taking in refugees”. This isn’t true.

According to data released by the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, millions of refugees are being hosted by countries that are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (which describes itself as “the collective voice of the Muslim world”) and countries with majority Muslim populations, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Centre in 2020.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC, lists 57 member states, while Pew identified 52 countries and territories with majority Muslim populations in 2020.

Both metrics include Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Chad, Bangladesh and Sudan, all of which are in the top 10 locations hosting the most refugees and people in refugee-like situations according to the UNHCR. These six countries hosted 10.1 million refugees and people in refugee-like situations as of mid-2025.

The posts specifically refer to refugees, which is why we have used this data, but it is possible they may mean asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are different to refugees because they are still seeking international protection, meaning that their request for refugee status is yet to be processed. Muslim countries also host asylum seekers—Turkey, for instance, hosted around 2.7 million refugees and over 132,000 asylum seekers, according to the latest UNHCR data for mid-2025.

Using Pew’s list of Muslim-majority states, these 52 places hosted 45% of the world’s refugees in 2025.

The posts, which have been shared on Facebook, Instagram and X, also claim that 85% of the world’s refugees are Muslim.

The UNHCR does not hold data on ‌the religion ⁠of refugees, and told us “the claim circulating on social media that 85% of all refugees are Muslim is false”.

A spokesperson said: “As of mid-2025, two-thirds of refugees and other people in need of international protection are from just five countries: Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela. Given that Venezuelans and Ukrainians, both majority Christian countries, comprise a significant portion of the overall population of refugees and others in need of international protection, the true proportion of refugees that are Muslims is likely to be much lower.”

It is also worth noting that a refugee’s country of origin cannot be used to determine the basis for recording their religion. Religious persecution may lead to a minority religion seeking asylum elsewhere, for example.

False or misleading claims about specific religious groups can be harmful. Online claims can spread fast and far and are difficult to contain and correct. Internet companies must take responsibility to ensure that they have clear and transparent policies on the treatment of misinformation on their platforms, and then apply them consistently.