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Where refugees in New York are arriving from

Written by:
September 11, 2023
Robsonphoto // Shutterstock

Where refugees in New York are arriving from

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 New York in August 2023.

August refugee statistics
Countries where refugees arrived from in August
To New York:
#1. Syria: 99
#2. Afghanistan: 61
#2. Burma: 61
#4. Congo: 30
#5. El Salvador: 20
#6. Guatemala: 16
#7. Ethiopia: 15
#8. Venezuela: 14
#9. Republic of South Sudan: 13
#10. Colombia: 12
#11. Sudan: 9
#12. Ukraine: 8
#13. Burundi: 7
#14. Pakistan: 6
#15. Sri Lanka: 3
#16. Eritrea: 2
#16. Palestine: 2
#16. Somalia: 2
#19. Cuba: 1
#19. Honduras: 1
#19. Iraq: 1
#19. Indonesia: 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 New York has accepted the most refugees from since October 2022.

Woman carries basket through street in Bukavu
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Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#1. Congo

Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2022
To New York: 821

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

People buying spices at a street market in Damascus
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hanohiki // Shutterstock

#2. Syria

Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2022
To New York: 645

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

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Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock

#3. Burma

Refugees that arrived from Burma since October 2022
To New York: 523

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

Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market
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Canva

#4. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2022
To New York: 364

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

Pedestrians on a street in Bogota, Columbia
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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#5. Colombia

Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2022
To New York: 126

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

Woman carrying child to Lviv train station on snowy day
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Ruslan Lytvyn // Shutterstock

#6. Ukraine

Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2022
To New York: 95

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

Daily scene of tuktuks, street stalls and motorbikes in San Pedro
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Lauren Squire // Shutterstock

#7. Guatemala

Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2022
To New York: 87

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

Many people on a dirt street in Shendi
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Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#8. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2022
To New York: 85

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

An aerial view of El Salvador.
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#9. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2022
To New York: 82

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

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Focus and Blur // Shutterstock

#10. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2022
To New York: 53

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

Men gathered in the streets with motorcycles in Juba
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punghi // Shutterstock

#11. Republic of South Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Republic of South Sudan since October 2022
To New York: 49

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

Woman crossing road by Medlar Market in Asmara
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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#12. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2022
To New York: 46

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

Muslim woman in hijab waking on streets of Hargeisa
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Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#13. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2022
To New York: 44

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

People walking through the Chitta Gate in the old town area of Lahore
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W_NAMKET // Shutterstock

#14. Pakistan

Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2022
To New York: 43

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

An aerial view of caracas, Venezuela.
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Canva

#15. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2022
To New York: 32

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

Woman and child on busy market street of Copan
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amnat30 // Shutterstock

#16. Honduras

Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2022
To New York: 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

An aerial view of Osh, Kyrgyzstan.
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Canva

#17. Kyrgyzstan

Refugees that arrived from Kyrgyzstan since October 2022
To New York: 23

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

Wide view of traditional, older buildings on a hillside in Yemen.
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Canva

#18. Yemen

Refugees that arrived from Yemen since October 2022
To New York: 21

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

People walking on the street in Aksum
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Artush // Shutterstock

#19. Ethiopia

Refugees that arrived from Ethiopia since October 2022
To New York: 19

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

Group of children playing soccer on a rural road
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sandis sveicers // Shutterstock

#20. Central African Republic

Refugees that arrived from Central African Republic since October 2022
To New York: 18

To the U.S. as a whole: 597
Top states receiving refugees from Central African Republic
#1. Texas: 92
#2. Colorado: 52
#3. Georgia: 40
#4. Arizona: 39
#5. Oregon: 37

People walking on busy street with market stalls in Gaza
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Stephen Butler // Shutterstock

#21. Palestine

Refugees that arrived from Palestine since October 2022
To New York: 15

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

Burundian people gather at an outside market
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Rostasedlacek // Shutterstock

#22. Burundi

Refugees that arrived from Burundi since October 2022
To New York: 14

To the U.S. as a whole: 272
Top states receiving refugees from Burundi
#1. Iowa: 38
#2. Texas: 32
#3. Pennsylvania: 23
#4. Missouri: 21
#5. Michigan: 15

An aerial shot of Tashkent TV Tower in Uzbekistan at sunset.
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Canva

#23. Uzbekistan

Refugees that arrived from Uzbekistan since October 2022
To New York: 12

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

People crossing a busy street near Moscow’s business center
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YuryKara // Shutterstock

#24. Russia

Refugees that arrived from Russia since October 2022
To New York: 6

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

People walking by a Cathedral in Granada, Nicaragua
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Milosz Maslanka // Shutterstock

#25. Nicaragua

Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2022
To New York: 5

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

Busy street in Colombo, Sri Lanka
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alionabirukova // Shutterstock

#25. Sri Lanka

Refugees that arrived from Sri Lanka since October 2022
To New York: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 13
Top states receiving refugees from Sri Lanka
#1. New York: 5
#2. Texas: 4
#3. Minnesota: 2
#3. New Jersey: 2

A distant view of homes on a hillside in Haiti.
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#25. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2022
To New York: 5

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

People shopping at Pieta Central market in Chisinau
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JackKPhoto // Shutterstock

#28. Moldova

Refugees that arrived from Moldova since October 2022
To New York: 4

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

Women beside fishing boats on the beaches of Yoff
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Salvador Aznar // Shutterstock

#28. Senegal

Refugees that arrived from Senegal since October 2022
To New York: 4

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

Busy market street in Beijing
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A. Aleksandravicius // Shutterstock

#30. China

Refugees that arrived from China since October 2022
To New York: 3

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

Elevated view of a street scene in Giza
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Perekotypole // Shutterstock

#31. Egypt

Refugees that arrived from Egypt since October 2022
To New York: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 5
Top states receiving refugees from Egypt
#1. New York: 2
#2. Illinois: 1
#2. Kentucky: 1
#2. Nevada: 1

People gather in a urban park on the streets of Tehran
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Andrew V Marcus // Shutterstock

#31. Iran

Refugees that arrived from Iran since October 2022
To New York: 2

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

Woman walking on busy street in Kampala with basket of mangos
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Vlad Karavaev // Shutterstock

#31. Uganda

Refugees that arrived from Uganda since October 2022
To New York: 2

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

Man driving a bicycle rickshaw on a Kathmandu street
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Shadow of light // Shutterstock

#34. Nepal

Refugees that arrived from Nepal since October 2022
To New York: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 18
Top states receiving refugees from Nepal
#1. Ohio: 5
#2. Illinois: 4
#3. Pennsylvania: 2
#3. Tennessee: 2
#3. Vermont: 2

A distant view of the Havana skyline in Cuba.
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Canva

#34. Cuba

Refugees that arrived from Cuba since October 2022
To New York: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 27
Top states receiving refugees from Cuba
#1. Washington: 9
#2. Florida: 8
#3. Texas: 5
#4. Nevada: 3
#5. Georgia: 1

An aerial drone view of niarela Bakamo, Mali
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Canva

#34. Mali

Refugees that arrived from Mali since October 2022
To New York: 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

An aerial view of Stone Town in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
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Marius Dobilas // Shutterstock

#34. Tanzania

Refugees that arrived from Tanzania since October 2022
To New York: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 1
Top states receiving refugees from Tanzania
#1. New York: 1

A distant view of Mount Victoria in Cameroon.
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Canva

#34. Cameroon

Refugees that arrived from Cameroon since October 2022
To New York: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 29
Top states receiving refugees from Cameroon
#1. New Mexico: 8
#2. Michigan: 4
#3. Illinois: 3
#3. Nevada: 3
#5. Colorado: 2

A panoramic view of Minsk, Belarus.
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karp5 // Shutterstock

#34. Belarus

Refugees that arrived from Belarus since October 2022
To New York: 1

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

Group of people crossing street in Jakarta
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Shalstock // Shutterstock

#34. Indonesia

Refugees that arrived from Indonesia since October 2022
To New York: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 5
Top states receiving refugees from Indonesia
#1. Kentucky: 3
#2. Arizona: 1
#2. New York: 1

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