Germany now ranks third globally in the volume of asylum applications received
In a significant change, the European Union (EU) is no longer seeing a majority of asylum seekers from Syria, but rather from the South American country of Venezuela. This shift has been marked by the influx of more than 9.1 million Venezuelans living outside their home country.
The overall number of new asylum seekers within the EU, along with the non-member countries of Norway and Switzerland, has decreased by 23 percent compared to the first half of 2024. Germany, traditionally a major recipient of asylum applications, is no longer leading the pack, marking a change after over a decade.
The decline in Germany is attributed to intensified border controls and the rejection of asylum seekers at the borders, according to Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster. However, the reduction in the number of asylum applications has not yet reached the administrative courts, but it is expected to eventually do so, leading to a lasting relief of the administrative courts.
Meanwhile, Spain has become the preferred destination for most Venezuelan asylum seekers. In the first half of 2025, Germany received 70,000 new asylum applications, placing it third within the EU, behind France and Spain. Interestingly, among asylum seekers in France, there are many people from Ukraine, but the mass emigration from Venezuela is a direct consequence of the authoritarian rule of President Nicolás Maduro.
The main reason many Venezuelans have registered as refugees in France is political and economic instability in Venezuela, which has driven millions to seek asylum. However, most Venezuelan asylum applications in Europe are in Spain because of language and established communities. In France, asylum applications increased in part due to arrivals from other French-speaking countries like Haiti and the DR Congo.
The UK is no longer included in the statistics as it is no longer a member of the EU. The most new asylum seekers in the EU (49,000) are from Venezuela, followed by Afghanistan (42,000). Italy has 64,000 new asylum applications, placing it fourth after France, Spain, and Germany.
Despite a high birth rate, the population of Venezuela has shrunk to just over 28 million since 2017 due to migration. The recognition rate for initial applications has fallen to its lowest level ever measured (25 percent). The overall recognition rate for Venezuelans was last at 10.9 percent. The decrease is not yet noticeable in German administrative courts as the number of asylum appeals has significantly increased in the first half of 2025.
This shift in asylum seekers' origins and destinations within the EU is a reflection of the ongoing political and economic instability in various countries, and the EU's role in providing refuge to those in need.
