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At the end of 2013, based on data received or estimated by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of Iranian refugees was 75,043 of which 12,307 were assisted by the UNHCR mostly in Iraq (7,992). According to the same source at the end of this year there were 51.2 million forcibly displaced people worldwide, including 16.7 million refugees, of which 11.7 million fell under UNHCR’s mandate, some 5 million Palestinian refugees under the responsibility of the U. N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), 33.3 million people displaced within their country as a result of armed conflict and 1.2 million asylum- seekers (people whose asylum applications had not yet been adjudicated).

During 2013, 27,999 applications (first instance, appeal, reopening) for refugee status were submitted by Iranians to Governments or UNHCR offices. During the same year, applications submitted by all nationalities in 167 countries amounted to 1,067,500. By nationality, the highest number of new asylum claims in 2013 was filed by individuals from D.R. Congo (60,400), followed by individuals from Myanmar (57,400), Afghanistan (49,100), Syria (31,800), Iraq (45,700), the Russian Federation (39,800), Somalia (35,300), Eritrea (35,000), Serbia (34,700), and Pakistan (33,600).

* 44 Industrialized countries (2013): Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Rep., Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxambourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Rep. of Korea, Romania, Serbia (and Kosovo: S/RES/1244 (1999)), Slovakia , Slovania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

Applications filed by Iranians in Industrialized Countries (1982-2013)

Total: 528,101

In 2013, six destination countries that received the largest numbers of new applications from Iranians were Turkey (5,897), Germany (4,424), Australia (4,370), the United Kingdom (2,956), Sweden (1,172), and Indonesia (1,031). Seven countries receiving most of the new asylum applications from all nationalities were Germany (109,600), United States (84,400), South Africa (70,000), France (60,200), Sweden (54,300), and Malaysia (53,600).

Of 23,844 decisions taken on Iranian asylum applications in 2013, including cases from previous years, some11,391 resulted in refugee status, 1,055 decisions resulted in humanitarian status, 8,062 cases were rejected, and 3,387 cases were closed on other grounds. When cases closed on other non-substantive grounds are excluded, the global refugee recognition percentage for Iranian asylum applicants during 2013 amounted to 55.5%, whereas the total recognition percentage, including grants of humanitarian status, amounted to 60.7%.

In total, the global refugee recognition rate for all nationalities in 2013 amounted to 38%. When asylum-seekers allowed to remain on humanitarian grounds are included, the recognition rate was 44%.

Some examples of first instance total recognition rates (refugee & humanitarian) for Iranian applications in 2013 were: Australia (81%), Austria (80%), Canada (79%), France (54%), Germany (64%), Indonesia-UNHCR (61%), Sweden (59%), Turkey-UNHCR (77%), UK (58%), and USA-INS (99%).

In 2013, some 2,463 Iranians were resettled including from Turkey (2,377) and Indonesia (86) in various countries with UNHCR’s assistance.

During the same year, a total of 98,400 refugees from all nationalities were admitted by 21 resettlement countries, including the United States of America (66,200), Australia (13,200), Canada (12,200), Sweden (1,900), and United Kingdom (970). Some 71,300 who were resettled with UNHCR’s assistance were mostly from Myanmar (16,700), Iraq (14,300), Bhutan (10,700), Somalia (8,800), the D.R. Congo (4,500), and Afghanistan (4,400).

UNHCR assisted resettlement of Iranian refugees (1999-2013)

In addition to Iranians referred to the United States by the UNHCR in Turkey, the United States also resettled Iranian religious minorities as persons of special concern who applied directly to the U.S. program for refugee processing in Austria. Alltogether, 2,578 Iranians were admitted to the U.S. as refugees in FY 2013.

Iranians resettled in the United States (FY 1983-2013)

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