Fewer asylum applications in Germany
For a long time, Germany was number one in Europe in terms of asylum applications. Other countries are now ahead. The German figures are falling rapidly.
Nuremberg (dpa) – In February, Germany was overtaken by France as the leader in asylum applications in Europe. According to the new statistics issued by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), France (13,080) and Spain (12,975) received more applications in total than Germany (12,775). In the first quarter of 2025, 41,123 asylum applications were received, compared to 71,061 applications in the same period of the previous year.
Acting Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (photo) emphasised that irregular migration to Europe had been significantly reduced “thanks to a strong package of measures, action taken by Germany itself, and close European cooperation”. The new European asylum system (CEAS) now had to be implemented, said Faeser, “so that we can also better protect the EU's external borders and achieve a fair distribution of refugees in the EU in the long term”.
An international comparison for March is not yet available, but in Germany the number of asylum applications continued to fall to 10,647 – 45.3 per cent lower than in March 2024. This is the lowest March figure since 2022. It is mainly due to a clear decline in asylum applications from people from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey.