Shadows of group of people walking through the sunny streets with painted United States of America flag on the floor.

Where refugees in Washington are arriving from

Written by:
March 7, 2024
Robsonphoto // Shutterstock

Where refugees in Washington 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 the 2022 fiscal year, twice the 2021 total.

Refugee arrivals during the 2023 fiscal year dramatically outpaced the prior two years, reaching over 60,000 from October 2022 to September 2023.

In February 2024, the greatest number of refugees admitted by the U.S. came from Congo, Syria, 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 Washington in February 2024.

February refugee statistics
Countries where refugees arrived from in February
To Washington:
#1. Afghanistan: 113
#2. Syria: 53
#3. Ukraine: 41
#4. Burma: 36
#5. Congo: 33
#6. Venezuela: 27
#7. Belarus: 20
#8. Eritrea: 17
#8. Russia: 17
#10. Colombia: 14
#11. Moldova: 11
#12. Ethiopia: 10
#13. Kazakhstan: 8
#14. Somalia: 5
#14. Sudan: 5
#14. Guatemala: 5
#17. Georgia: 3
#17. Burundi: 3
#19. Central African Republic: 2
#20. Nicaragua: 1

To the U.S. as a whole:
#1. Congo: 2,426
#2. Afghanistan: 1,299
#3. Venezuela: 1,230
#4. Syria: 981
#5. Burma: 826

States that accepted the most refugees in February:
#1. Texas: 1,062
#2. California: 572
#3. Florida: 554
#4. New York: 507
#5. Arizona: 450

Read on to see the countries that Washington has accepted the most refugees from since the start of the fiscal year in October 2023.

Afghan women in burkas pass by a man outside a market
1 / 38
Canva

#1. Afghanistan

Refugees that arrived from Afghanistan since October 2023
To Washington: 440

To the U.S. as a whole: 5,925
Top states receiving refugees from Afghanistan
#1. California: 1,228
#2. Virginia: 655
#3. Texas: 542
#4. Washington: 440
#5. Maryland: 272

Woman carrying child to Lviv train station on snowy day
2 / 38
Ruslan Lytvyn // Shutterstock

#2. Ukraine

Refugees that arrived from Ukraine since October 2023
To Washington: 249

To the U.S. as a whole: 725
Top states receiving refugees from Ukraine
#1. Washington: 249
#2. California: 110
#3. Ohio: 40
#4. New York: 37
#5. Kentucky: 35

People buying spices at a street market in Damascus
3 / 38
hanohiki // Shutterstock

#3. Syria

Refugees that arrived from Syria since October 2023
To Washington: 222

To the U.S. as a whole: 6,818
Top states receiving refugees from Syria
#1. New York: 673
#2. Michigan: 655
#3. Pennsylvania: 465
#4. Texas: 375
#5. California: 361

Cars, people and mopeds on the streets of Kinshasa.
4 / 38
Katja Tsvetkova // Shutterstock

#4. Congo

Refugees that arrived from Congo since October 2023
To Washington: 104

To the U.S. as a whole: 9,929
Top states receiving refugees from Congo
#1. Kentucky: 893
#2. Texas: 804
#3. Arizona: 747
#4. Ohio: 645
#5. New York: 600

People shopping at Pieta Central market in Chisinau
5 / 38
JackKPhoto // Shutterstock

#5. Moldova

Refugees that arrived from Moldova since October 2023
To Washington: 85

To the U.S. as a whole: 278
Top states receiving refugees from Moldova
#1. California: 89
#2. Washington: 85
#3. Florida: 18
#4. Minnesota: 16
#5. North Carolina: 14

An aerial view of caracas, Venezuela.
6 / 38
Canva

#6. Venezuela

Refugees that arrived from Venezuela since October 2023
To Washington: 72

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,504
Top states receiving refugees from Venezuela
#1. Florida: 501
#2. Texas: 304
#3. Georgia: 146
#4. Illinois: 143
#5. Tennessee: 110

A horse-drawn taxi passes through a busy shopping area
7 / 38
Chantal de Bruijne // Shutterstock

#7. Burma

Refugees that arrived from Burma since October 2023
To Washington: 71

To the U.S. as a whole: 2,899
Top states receiving refugees from Burma
#1. Texas: 327
#2. Illinois: 297
#3. New York: 266
#4. Georgia: 192
#5. Arizona: 189

Woman crossing road by Medlar Market in Asmara
8 / 38
Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#8. Eritrea

Refugees that arrived from Eritrea since October 2023
To Washington: 68

To the U.S. as a whole: 735
Top states receiving refugees from Eritrea
#1. Texas: 73
#2. Washington: 68
#3. Maryland: 61
#4. North Carolina: 45
#5. Ohio: 41

Daily scene of tuktuks, street stalls and motorbikes in San Pedro
9 / 38
Lauren Squire // Shutterstock

#9. Guatemala

Refugees that arrived from Guatemala since October 2023
To Washington: 59

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,920
Top states receiving refugees from Guatemala
#1. California: 270
#2. Texas: 172
#3. North Carolina: 148
#4. Florida: 113
#5. New York: 87

People crossing a busy street near Moscow’s business center
10 / 38
YuryKara // Shutterstock

#10. Russia

Refugees that arrived from Russia since October 2023
To Washington: 51

To the U.S. as a whole: 184
Top states receiving refugees from Russia
#1. Washington: 51
#2. California: 37
#3. Minnesota: 20
#4. North Carolina: 19
#4. Oregon: 19

A panoramic view of Minsk, Belarus.
11 / 38
karp5 // Shutterstock

#11. Belarus

Refugees that arrived from Belarus since October 2023
To Washington: 50

To the U.S. as a whole: 178
Top states receiving refugees from Belarus
#1. Washington: 50
#2. California: 35
#3. Massachusetts: 20
#4. Minnesota: 16
#5. New York: 14

Pedestrians on a street in Bogota, Columbia
12 / 38
Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#12. Colombia

Refugees that arrived from Colombia since October 2023
To Washington: 46

To the U.S. as a whole: 685
Top states receiving refugees from Colombia
#1. Florida: 98
#2. North Carolina: 59
#3. Texas: 54
#4. New York: 49
#5. Washington: 46

Pedestrians and traffic on the streets of Almaty
13 / 38
Omri Eliyahu // Shutterstock

#13. Kazakhstan

Refugees that arrived from Kazakhstan since October 2023
To Washington: 39

To the U.S. as a whole: 104
Top states receiving refugees from Kazakhstan
#1. Washington: 39
#2. California: 19
#2. Pennsylvania: 19
#4. Oregon: 10
#5. Massachusetts: 5

Elevated view of Baghdad street scene
14 / 38
Focus and Blur // Shutterstock

#14. Iraq

Refugees that arrived from Iraq since October 2023
To Washington: 38

To the U.S. as a whole: 762
Top states receiving refugees from Iraq
#1. California: 136
#2. Michigan: 95
#3. Nebraska: 45
#3. Texas: 45
#5. Washington: 38

Muslim woman in hijab waking on streets of Hargeisa
15 / 38
Dave Primov // Shutterstock

#14. Somalia

Refugees that arrived from Somalia since October 2023
To Washington: 38

To the U.S. as a whole: 1,283
Top states receiving refugees from Somalia
#1. Minnesota: 419
#2. Ohio: 110
#3. Georgia: 63
#4. New York: 62
#5. Arizona: 61

People walking by a Cathedral in Granada, Nicaragua
16 / 38
Milosz Maslanka // Shutterstock

#16. Nicaragua

Refugees that arrived from Nicaragua since October 2023
To Washington: 35

To the U.S. as a whole: 786
Top states receiving refugees from Nicaragua
#1. Florida: 151
#2. California: 60
#3. Texas: 48
#4. Minnesota: 44
#5. North Carolina: 40

People walking on the street in Aksum
17 / 38
Artush // Shutterstock

#17. Ethiopia

Refugees that arrived from Ethiopia since October 2023
To Washington: 24

To the U.S. as a whole: 232
Top states receiving refugees from Ethiopia
#1. Minnesota: 67
#2. Ohio: 25
#3. Washington: 24
#4. Georgia: 21
#5. lowa: 11

An arial view of Tbilisi, Georgia.
18 / 38
Canva

#18. Georgia

Refugees that arrived from Georgia since October 2023
To Washington: 23

To the U.S. as a whole: 34
Top states receiving refugees from Georgia
#1. Washington: 23
#2. Pennsylvania: 4
#3. California: 3
#4. Indiana: 2
#4. New York: 2

Many people on a dirt street in Shendi
19 / 38
Matyas Rehak // Shutterstock

#19. Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Sudan since October 2023
To Washington: 20

To the U.S. as a whole: 870
Top states receiving refugees from Sudan
#1. Missouri: 57
#2. Nebraska: 56
#3. Texas: 55
#3. New York: 55
#5. Pennsylvania: 54

Woman and child on busy market street of Copan
20 / 38
amnat30 // Shutterstock

#20. Honduras

Refugees that arrived from Honduras since October 2023
To Washington: 12

To the U.S. as a whole: 505
Top states receiving refugees from Honduras
#1. Texas: 87
#2. Florida: 65
#3. California: 33
#4. Georgia: 32
#4. New York: 32

An aerial view of El Salvador.
21 / 38
Canva

#20. El Salvador

Refugees that arrived from El Salvador since October 2023
To Washington: 12

To the U.S. as a whole: 691
Top states receiving refugees from El Salvador
#1. California: 84
#2. Texas: 80
#3. Maryland: 76
#4. Virginia: 55
#5. North Carolina: 53

An aerial shot of Tashkent TV Tower in Uzbekistan at sunset.
22 / 38
Canva

#20. Uzbekistan

Refugees that arrived from Uzbekistan since October 2023
To Washington: 12

To the U.S. as a whole: 40
Top states receiving refugees from Uzbekistan
#1. New York: 13
#2. Washington: 12
#3. California: 8
#4. Ohio: 6
#5. Minnesota: 1

People walking through the Chitta Gate in the old town area of Lahore
23 / 38
W_NAMKET // Shutterstock

#23. Pakistan

Refugees that arrived from Pakistan since October 2023
To Washington: 9

To the U.S. as a whole: 481
Top states receiving refugees from Pakistan
#1. Pennsylvania: 63
#2. Virginia: 57
#3. Texas: 53
#4. North Carolina: 46
#5. Maryland: 30

People gather in a urban park on the streets of Tehran
24 / 38
Andrew V Marcus // Shutterstock

#23. Iran

Refugees that arrived from Iran since October 2023
To Washington: 9

To the U.S. as a whole: 205
Top states receiving refugees from Iran
#1. California: 110
#2. Texas: 18
#3. North Carolina: 10
#4. Washington: 9
#4. Illinois: 9

A distant view of the Havana skyline in Cuba.
25 / 38
Canva

#25. Cuba

Refugees that arrived from Cuba since October 2023
To Washington: 6

To the U.S. as a whole: 76
Top states receiving refugees from Cuba
#1. Florida: 32
#2. Texas: 10
#3. Tennessee: 7
#4. Washington: 6
#5. New Hampshire: 4

Aerial drone shot of Conakry, Guinea.
26 / 38
Flightseeing-Germany // Shutterstock

#26. Guinea

Refugees that arrived from Guinea since October 2023
To Washington: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 73
Top states receiving refugees from Guinea
#1. Colorado: 15
#2. Georgia: 7
#2. North Carolina: 7
#4. Arizona: 5
#4. Michigan: 5

Men gathered in the streets with motorcycles in Juba
27 / 38
punghi // Shutterstock

#26. Republic of South Sudan

Refugees that arrived from Republic of South Sudan since October 2023
To Washington: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 610
Top states receiving refugees from Republic of South Sudan
#1. Nebraska: 59
#2. Texas: 56
#3. Connecticut: 53
#4. Colorado: 46
#5. Minnesota: 44

People selling bananas at a street market in Huye
28 / 38
Oscar Espinosa // Shutterstock

#26. Rwanda

Refugees that arrived from Rwanda since October 2023
To Washington: 5

To the U.S. as a whole: 79
Top states receiving refugees from Rwanda
#1. Texas: 14
#2. North Carolina: 11
#3. South Carolina: 10
#4. Kentucky: 8
#5. Illinois: 6

Woman walking on busy street in Kampala with basket of mangos
29 / 38
Vlad Karavaev // Shutterstock

#29. Uganda

Refugees that arrived from Uganda since October 2023
To Washington: 4

To the U.S. as a whole: 39
Top states receiving refugees from Uganda
#1. Massachusetts: 6
#2. Missouri: 5
#2. Ohio: 5
#4. Michigan: 4
#4. Washington: 4

Burundian people gather at an outside market
30 / 38
Rostasedlacek // Shutterstock

#30. Burundi

Refugees that arrived from Burundi since October 2023
To Washington: 3

To the U.S. as a whole: 217
Top states receiving refugees from Burundi
#1. Texas: 32
#2. New York: 29
#3. Arizona: 28
#4. Pennsylvania: 14
#5. Maryland: 13

Aerial view of Stockholm, Sweden.
31 / 38
Canva

#30. Sweden

Refugees that arrived from Sweden since October 2023
To Washington: 3

To the U.S. as a whole: 3
Top states receiving refugees from Sweden
#1. Washington: 3

Busy market street in Beijing
32 / 38
A. Aleksandravicius // Shutterstock

#30. China

Refugees that arrived from China since October 2023
To Washington: 3

To the U.S. as a whole: 3
Top states receiving refugees from China
#1. Washington: 3

A distant view of Ikoyi Lagos, Nigeria.
33 / 38
Canva

#30. Nigeria

Refugees that arrived from Nigeria since October 2023
To Washington: 3

To the U.S. as a whole: 77
Top states receiving refugees from Nigeria
#1. Missouri: 14
#2. Arizona: 12
#3. Illinois: 9
#4. Massachusetts: 8
#4. North Carolina: 8

A distant view of Mount Victoria in Cameroon.
34 / 38
Canva

#34. Cameroon

Refugees that arrived from Cameroon since October 2023
To Washington: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 88
Top states receiving refugees from Cameroon
#1. Texas: 11
#2. Pennsylvania: 10
#3. South Carolina: 6
#3. Massachusetts: 6
#3. California: 6

A distant view of homes on a hillside in Haiti.
35 / 38
Canva

#34. Haiti

Refugees that arrived from Haiti since October 2023
To Washington: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 83
Top states receiving refugees from Haiti
#1. Pennsylvania: 19
#2. Florida: 11
#3. Georgia: 9
#4. California: 8
#5. Missouri: 4

Group of children playing soccer on a rural road
36 / 38
sandis sveicers // Shutterstock

#34. Central African Republic

Refugees that arrived from Central African Republic since October 2023
To Washington: 2

To the U.S. as a whole: 395
Top states receiving refugees from Central African Republic
#1. Texas: 45
#2. Missouri: 38
#3. Georgia: 31
#4. Michigan: 24
#4. Massachusetts: 24

People standing in front of shops by roadside
37 / 38
Beata Tabak // Shutterstock

#37. Ivory Coast

Refugees that arrived from Ivory Coast since October 2023
To Washington: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 62
Top states receiving refugees from Ivory Coast
#1. Pennsylvania: 10
#2. Minnesota: 8
#3. Massachusetts: 7
#4. Arkansas: 5
#5. Florida: 4

Skyline of Nouakchott ,Mauritania.
38 / 38
Canva

#37. Mauritania

Refugees that arrived from Mauritania since October 2023
To Washington: 1

To the U.S. as a whole: 1
Top states receiving refugees from Mauritania
#1. Washington: 1

This story features data reporting and writing by Emma Rubin and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 46 states.

Trending Now