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Asylum applications in Germany 2025: almost 50 percent decline!
In the first half of 2025, the number of asylum applications in Germany fell by almost 50%. Insights into current trends and causes.
Asylum applications in Germany 2025: almost 50 percent decline!
In the first six months of 2025, asylum applications in Germany experienced a notable decline. The Federal Ministry of the Interior reported that only around 61,300 people have newly applied for protection in Germany. This corresponds to a decrease of almost 50 percent compared to the same period last year Deutschlandfunk reported. This is a significant change in asylum statistics that could be due to current geopolitical developments and the increase in Ukrainian refugees.
In addition to the initial applications, a good 11,500 follow-up applications were recorded, which also corresponds to a slight decrease. With these figures, Germany ranks third in Europe, behind Spain, where 76,000 applications were received, and France, with 75,400.
The Ukrainian influence on asylum applications
It is noteworthy that asylum applications from Ukrainian citizens in recent years are not the main factor. While only 705 Ukrainian refugees applied for asylum in 2022, the number fell to 655 in 2023 and rose slightly to 1,048 in 2024, only to land at 323 in 2025 by May. The majority of Ukrainians seeking protection have instead applied for a temporary residence permit, such as the Federal Agency for Civic Education explained.
At the end of April 2025, around 1.2 million Ukrainians seeking protection were recorded in the German central register of foreigners, who generally do not apply for asylum because they fall under the EU Mass Influx Directive. The Russian war of aggression not only creates a high number of refugees, but also influences the overall picture of asylum applications in Germany.
European context of asylum applications
A look at the pan-European statistics shows that the number of international refugees continues to rise. According to UNHCR, a total of 117.3 million people were displaced in 2023, highlighting the worrying consequences of conflict, violence and human rights violations. This also has an impact on the number of asylum applications within the EU, which sometimes vary greatly. Syrian, Afghan and Turkish citizens in particular made the most initial applications in the EU in 2023, while Germany was at the forefront with 329,035 applications.
The recognition rate in Germany is 52%, which compares favorably with other European countries. In Spain, for example, this is only 12%, while in Estonia and other Nordic countries the rate is over 70%. The Statistics from the Federal Statistical Office also show that most initial asylum applications were accepted in the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Overall, the decline in asylum applications in Germany is both a snapshot and part of a larger, dynamic situation. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop in the coming months and what role future geopolitical events will play. The challenges in the area of asylum and migration remain, even if the numbers currently tell a different story.