South Sudan is currently hosting 559,615 refugees and asylum seekers across 142,432 households, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The data, updated as of April, covers 29 refugee-hosting locations throughout the country.

Of the total population, 555,814 are registered refugees while 3,801 are asylum seekers, the UNHCR stated in its latest report released Monday in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

The vast majority—approximately 527,951 individuals—are refugees from Sudan, fleeing ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which escalated in December 2023. The rest include nationals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Central African Republic, and several other countries.

Among the asylum seekers, Ethiopians and Eritreans make up the largest groups, accounting for 34 percent and 35.1 percent respectively. Smaller numbers of asylum seekers are from Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The UNHCR highlighted that women make up 51 percent of the refugee population, while women and children combined represent 78 percent—underscoring the vulnerability of those displaced.

South Sudan continues to provide temporary protection to those fleeing regional conflicts, particularly from neighboring Sudan, as the humanitarian crisis deepens.