As the refugee crisis continues, more countries are feeling the international community's pressure to accept more asylum seekers. That includes the US, a nation with one of the largest economies, and smallest population densities, in the world.
US Secretary of State John Kerry in late September announced the US would increase its refugee cap to 100,000 a year by 2017. But that's only one-fifth the minimum of what Germany is already offering this year.
If you go by the numbers alone, the US ranks 14th in the total refugees it has hosted, according to the Pew Research Center. That doesn't tell the whole story, of course — the 57,350 refugees admitted so far make up less than 1 percent of the country's population.
So what are the countries that host the largest number of refugees, relative to their populations? The nations that rank first and second shouldn't come as a surprise.
Neighboring countries of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan are both small countries that have been the most strained during the ongoing conflict. The UNHCR's 2014 numbers also exclude Palestinians, most of whom have sought refuge in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Before you start applauding some lesser-known countries like Pacific island Nauru, Pew was quick to point out some of these numbers come from questionable policies. Australia has been paying Nauru — population 10,000 — to operate a detention center that takes asylum seekers arriving to Australia by boat.
By Hayat Norimine
