Where refugees in California are arriving from
Robsonphoto // Shutterstock
Where refugees in California are arriving from
Shadows of group of people walking through the sunny streets with painted United States of America flag on the floor.
During the past five decades, the U.S. has resettled over 3 million refugees, making it one of the leading countries for finding new homes for people fleeing violence, persecution, and war.
In 2021, then-President Donald Trump lowered the annual cap of refugees that could be admitted into the country to 15,000. Even as the Biden administration has raised the ceiling to 125,000, the annual number of refugees arriving in the U.S. didn’t immediately bounce back to pre-Trump administration levels. The numbers are increasing though, with over 25,000 refugees arriving in the U.S. in 2022, twice the 2021 total.
Refugee arrivals in 2023 are on track to outpace the two previous years, with over 44,000 refugees arriving since January.
In August 2023, the greatest number of refugees admitted by the U.S. came from Syria, Congo, and Afghanistan. Each nation faces a unique set of circumstances that can make their citizens unsafe if they stay in their home country.
For the last three decades, Congo, also called the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been struggling with a series of civil wars and internal battles that have left millions of people displaced, both internally and externally, with many people fleeing to neighboring countries. Syria has seen more than 5 million refugees flee to neighboring nations since 2011 while a longstanding civil war rages, with an additional 6.8 million people forced from their homes and seeking refuge elsewhere in the country. Afghan refugees have been fleeing to neighboring countries for decades, especially to Pakistan and Iran, which combined host over 8 million Afghans.
Stacker referenced data from The Refugee Processing Center to compile statistics on the number of refugees and their countries of origin resettled in California in August 2023.
August refugee statistics
Countries where refugees arrived from in August
To California:
#1. Afghanistan: 155
#2. Syria: 133
#3. Guatemala: 57
#4. El Salvador: 34
#5. Armenia: 31
#6. Ukraine: 30
#7. Iraq: 20
#8. Moldova: 19
#9. Iran: 18
#10. Belarus: 10
#11. Venezuela: 9
#12. Russia: 8
#12. Somalia: 8
#14. Palestine: 7
#15. Uzbekistan: 6
#16. Nicaragua: 4
#17. Honduras: 3
#17. Sudan: 3
#19. Congo: 2
#19. Kenya: 2
#21. Eritrea: 1
#21. Haiti: 1
#21. China: 1
To the U.S. as a whole:
#1. Syria: 1,429
#2. Congo: 1,085
#3. Afghanistan: 710
#4. Burma: 479
#5. Guatemala: 292
States that accepted the most refugees in August:
#1. California: 562
#2. Texas: 422
#3. New York: 384
#4. Illinois: 283
#5. North Carolina: 274
Read on to see the countries that California has accepted the most refugees from since October 2022.
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#1. Afghanistan
Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market
Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2022
To California: 1,105
To the U.S. as a whole: 5,725
Top states receiving refugees from Afghanistan
#1. California: 1,105
#2. Texas: 623
#3. Virginia: 614
#4. New York: 364
#5. Washington: 341
hanohiki // Shutterstock
#2. Syria
People buying spices at a street market in Damascus
Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2022
To California: 541
To the U.S. as a whole: 8,238
Top states receiving refugees from Syria
#1. Michigan: 810
#2. New York: 645
#3. Texas: 594
#4. Pennsylvania: 557
#5. California: 541
Ruslan Lytvyn // Shutterstock
#3. Ukraine
Woman carrying child to Lviv train station on snowy day
Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2022
To California: 241
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,303
Top states receiving refugees from Ukraine
#1. Washington: 412
#2. California: 241
#3. New York: 95
#4. Ohio: 72
#5. Pennsylvania: 61
Lauren Squire // Shutterstock
#4. Guatemala
Daily scene of tuktuks, street stalls and motorbikes in San Pedro
Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2022
To California: 219
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,563
Top states receiving refugees from Guatemala
#1. California: 219
#2. Florida: 139
#3. Pennsylvania: 109
#4. North Carolina: 97
#5. New York: 87
Andrew V Marcus // Shutterstock
#5. Iran
People gather in a urban park on the streets of Tehran
Refugees that arrived from Iran since October 2022
To California: 145
To the U.S. as a whole: 675
Top states receiving refugees from Iran
#1. Texas: 150
#2. California: 145
#3. Washington: 75
#4. Georgia: 43
#5. Nevada: 27
Focus and Blur // Shutterstock
#6. Iraq
Elevated view of Baghdad street scene
Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2022
To California: 142
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,061
Top states receiving refugees from Iraq
#1. Michigan: 146
#2. California: 142
#3. Texas: 126
#4. Washington: 65
#5. Illinois: 63
Sebastian Castelier // Shutterstock
#7. Armenia
Armenian people emerge from a church in the city of Metsamore
Refugees that arrived from Armenia since October 2022
To California: 126
To the U.S. as a whole: 139
Top states receiving refugees from Armenia
#1. California: 126
#2. South Carolina: 6
#3. Oregon: 5
#4. Massachusetts: 2
JackKPhoto // Shutterstock
#8. Moldova
People shopping at Pieta Central market in Chisinau
Refugees that arrived from Moldova since October 2022
To California: 99
To the U.S. as a whole: 442
Top states receiving refugees from Moldova
#1. Washington: 116
#2. California: 99
#3. Massachusetts: 54
#4. Minnesota: 32
#4. North Carolina: 32
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#9. El Salvador
An aerial view of El Salvador.
Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2022
To California: 96
To the U.S. as a whole: 957
Top states receiving refugees from El Salvador
#1. California: 96
#2. Texas: 95
#3. North Carolina: 87
#4. New York: 82
#5. Maryland: 81
Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock
#10. Congo
Woman carries basket through street in Bukavu
Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2022
To California: 73
To the U.S. as a whole: 15,675
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Texas: 1,551
#2. Kentucky: 1,542
#3. Ohio: 1,173
#4. Arizona: 1,021
#5. New York: 821
YuryKara // Shutterstock
#11. Russia
People crossing a busy street near Moscow’s business center
Refugees that arrived from Russia since October 2022
To California: 67
To the U.S. as a whole: 234
Top states receiving refugees from Russia
#1. California: 67
#2. Washington: 57
#3. Oregon: 26
#4. Ohio: 11
#5. Minnesota: 9
Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock
#12. Burma
A horse-drawn taxi passes through a busy shopping area
Refugees that arrived from Burma since October 2022
To California: 54
To the U.S. as a whole: 5,717
Top states receiving refugees from Burma
#1. Wisconsin: 637
#2. Texas: 598
#3. Indiana: 580
#4. New York: 523
#5. Illinois: 484
Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock
#13. Sudan
Many people on a dirt street in Shendi
Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2022
To California: 43
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,505
Top states receiving refugees from Sudan
#1. Ohio: 116
#2. Illinois: 99
#3. Georgia: 96
#4. New York: 85
#5. Nebraska: 79
W_NAMKET // Shutterstock
#14. Pakistan
People walking through the Chitta Gate in the old town area of Lahore
Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2022
To California: 38
To the U.S. as a whole: 391
Top states receiving refugees from Pakistan
#1. Pennsylvania: 56
#2. New York: 43
#3. Virginia: 40
#4. California: 38
#5. Georgia: 35
amnat30 // Shutterstock
#15. Honduras
Woman and child on busy market street of Copan
Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2022
To California: 30
To the U.S. as a whole: 547
Top states receiving refugees from Honduras
#1. Florida: 72
#2. Texas: 71
#3. North Carolina: 42
#4. Maryland: 31
#4. Massachusetts: 31
Dave Primov // Shutterstock
#16. Eritrea
Woman crossing road by Medlar Market in Asmara
Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2022
To California: 27
To the U.S. as a whole: 867
Top states receiving refugees from Eritrea
#1. Ohio: 81
#2. Washington: 73
#3. Texas: 65
#4. Colorado: 48
#5. New York: 46
karp5 // Shutterstock
#17. Belarus
A panoramic view of Minsk, Belarus.
Refugees that arrived from Belarus since October 2022
To California: 24
To the U.S. as a whole: 90
Top states receiving refugees from Belarus
#1. California: 24
#2. North Carolina: 17
#3. Washington: 15
#4. Georgia: 11
#5. Ohio: 7
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#18. Uzbekistan
An aerial shot of Tashkent TV Tower in Uzbekistan at sunset.
Refugees that arrived from Uzbekistan since October 2022
To California: 23
To the U.S. as a whole: 90
Top states receiving refugees from Uzbekistan
#1. California: 23
#1. Washington: 23
#3. Ohio: 15
#4. New York: 12
#5. Maine: 7
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#19. Venezuela
An aerial view of caracas, Venezuela.
Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2022
To California: 21
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,129
Top states receiving refugees from Venezuela
#1. Florida: 236
#2. Texas: 131
#3. Pennsylvania: 62
#4. North Carolina: 53
#5. Colorado: 51
Dave Primov // Shutterstock
#20. Somalia
Muslim woman in hijab waking on streets of Hargeisa
Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2022
To California: 19
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,034
Top states receiving refugees from Somalia
#1. Minnesota: 330
#2. Ohio: 88
#3. Arizona: 58
#4. Washington: 51
#5. New York: 44
Stephen Butler // Shutterstock
#21. Palestine
People walking on busy street with market stalls in Gaza
Refugees that arrived from Palestine since October 2022
To California: 9
To the U.S. as a whole: 50
Top states receiving refugees from Palestine
#1. New York: 15
#2. California: 9
#3. Nebraska: 8
#4. Michigan: 6
#5. Illinois: 4
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#21. Yemen
Wide view of traditional, older buildings on a hillside in Yemen.
Refugees that arrived from Yemen since October 2022
To California: 9
To the U.S. as a whole: 158
Top states receiving refugees from Yemen
#1. Michigan: 21
#1. New York: 21
#3. Illinois: 17
#4. Virginia: 15
#4. North Carolina: 15
Milosz Maslanka // Shutterstock
#23. Nicaragua
People walking by a Cathedral in Granada, Nicaragua
Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2022
To California: 8
To the U.S. as a whole: 156
Top states receiving refugees from Nicaragua
#1. Florida: 29
#2. Texas: 20
#3. Arizona: 10
#3. Maryland: 10
#3. Massachusetts: 10
Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock
#24. Colombia
Pedestrians on a street in Bogota, Columbia
Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2022
To California: 7
To the U.S. as a whole: 1,085
Top states receiving refugees from Colombia
#1. New York: 126
#2. Florida: 119
#3. North Carolina: 108
#4. New Jersey: 85
#5. Pennsylvania: 75
Artush // Shutterstock
#25. Ethiopia
People walking on the street in Aksum
Refugees that arrived from Ethiopia since October 2022
To California: 4
To the U.S. as a whole: 362
Top states receiving refugees from Ethiopia
#1. Minnesota: 145
#2. Washington: 31
#3. New York: 19
#4. Georgia: 17
#5. Colorado: 16
A. Aleksandravicius // Shutterstock
#25. China
Busy market street in Beijing
Refugees that arrived from China since October 2022
To California: 4
To the U.S. as a whole: 15
Top states receiving refugees from China
#1. Texas: 6
#2. California: 4
#3. New York: 3
#4. Colorado: 1
#4. Georgia: 1
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#27. Haiti
A distant view of homes on a hillside in Haiti.
Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2022
To California: 3
To the U.S. as a whole: 32
Top states receiving refugees from Haiti
#1. New York: 5
#1. Ohio: 5
#3. Colorado: 4
#3. Pennsylvania: 4
#5. California: 3
Vlad Karavaev // Shutterstock
#27. Uganda
Woman walking on busy street in Kampala with basket of mangos
Refugees that arrived from Uganda since October 2022
To California: 3
To the U.S. as a whole: 38
Top states receiving refugees from Uganda
#1. Ohio: 6
#2. Arizona: 4
#2. Colorado: 4
#2. Illinois: 4
#2. New Jersey: 4
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#29. Kenya
Aerial view of downtown Nairobi, Kenya.
Refugees that arrived from Kenya since October 2022
To California: 2
To the U.S. as a whole: 4
Top states receiving refugees from Kenya
#1. California: 2
#2. Minnesota: 1
#2. Vermont: 1
punghi // Shutterstock
#30. Republic of South Sudan
Men gathered in the streets with motorcycles in Juba
Refugees that arrived from Republic of South Sudan since October 2022
To California: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 455
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of South Sudan
#1. New York: 49
#2. North Carolina: 32
#3. Maryland: 30
#4. Minnesota: 28
#4. Washington: 28
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#30. Mali
An aerial drone view of niarela Bakamo, Mali
Refugees that arrived from Mali since October 2022
To California: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 26
Top states receiving refugees from Mali
#1. Pennsylvania: 6
#2. North Carolina: 4
#3. Arizona: 2
#3. Louisiana: 2
#3. Massachusetts: 2
Salvador Aznar // Shutterstock
#30. Senegal
Women beside fishing boats on the beaches of Yoff
Refugees that arrived from Senegal since October 2022
To California: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 86
Top states receiving refugees from Senegal
#1. Illinois: 12
#2. Texas: 9
#2. Massachusetts: 9
#4. South Carolina: 8
#5. North Carolina: 7
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#30. Algeria
A distant view of Constantine, Algeria.
Refugees that arrived from Algeria since October 2022
To California: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 3
Top states receiving refugees from Algeria
#1. New Mexico: 2
#2. California: 1
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#30. Kyrgyzstan
An aerial view of Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
Refugees that arrived from Kyrgyzstan since October 2022
To California: 1
To the U.S. as a whole: 141
Top states receiving refugees from Kyrgyzstan
#1. Pennsylvania: 39
#2. Washington: 36
#3. New York: 23
#4. Florida: 11
#5. Massachusetts: 8
