According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in 2012, Pakistan hosted the largest number of refugees worldwide, with approximately 1.6 million refugees, mainly from Afghanistan. Iran came second with around 868,200 refugees, mainly from Afghanistan as well.

Germany and France also hosted refugees in 2012, but not on the same scale as Iran and Pakistan. In 2012, Germany hosted around 600,000 refugees and France hosted around 265,000 refugees.