Author : Shameneh Majid
Claim: Social media posts claim that 85% of the refugees worldwide are Muslim and are not being taken in by the 56 Muslim countries across the globe. Of these countries, 11 are said to be among the richest nations in the world.
Fact: The claim is false. The data is not substantiated with any accurate and verified sources of data on refugee populations worldwide.
A post by X user The British Patriot (@TheBritLad) claimed that 85% of the world’s refugees are Muslim, and yet not a single one of the 56 Muslim countries worldwide is taking them in . It further stated that 11 of these countries are the richest in the world.
85% of the worlds refugees are Muslim.
Not one of the 56 Muslim countries are taking in refugees.
11 of these countries are the richest in the world.
If Islam is so great; why are Muslims countries not taking care of their own?
— The British Patriot (@TheBritLad) January 18, 2026
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check explored the inaccuracy of this claim. The sources were not substantiated with any statistics whereas credible international bodies, primarily the United Nations’ Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has never released data which categorises refugees on the basis of their religious identities..
In fact, we found data which categorised refugees based on their countries of origin, not religion. UNHCR specified that 67% of global refugees are from just 5 countries, including Venezuela, Syrian Arab Republic (Syria), Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Sudan. Another refugee activist organisation, Concern Worldwide, shared that 83% of refugees worldwide originate from 10 countries, but again, with no specification of their religion
The latter part of the claim, which states that none of the 56 Muslim countries in the world are taking in refugees, is also false. UNHCR’s Refugee Population Statistics Database added that 34% or over one-third of the world’s refugees are hosted in five countries, namely, Colombia, Germany, Turkey, Iran, and Uganda.
As part of our own investigation into the claim, we could not find any verifiable source, reports, or data confirming the religious affiliations of global refugee populations in the form of statistics.
According to EuroNews, this claim can be traced back to a politician from the far-right Portuguese Chega party, who publicly quoted the statistic regarding 85% of refugees being Muslim back in August 2025. Since then, it has circulated across various social media and news platforms globally. It’s part of a wider anti-immigration rhetoric and stance adopted by the party, which resulted in this statistic being circulated and shared across various countries and languages, including Portuguese, German, French, Spanish, and more. The party is known for its anti-immigration policies and aims to curb ‘excessive immigration,’ with leadership misquoting and exaggerating claims such as this false statistic.
Therefore, Soch Fact Check concludes that the claim is false.
Virality
Soch Fact Check found that the claim has been shared on Facebook here, here, and here.
On Instagram, it was shared here, here, and here.
It was shared on X here.
Conclusion:
The claim is false. It is not substantiated with any verified and accurate sources of data on refugee populations.
Background image in cover photo: Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
To appeal against our fact-check, please send an email to appeals@sochfactcheck.com