Annual asylum applications in Germany
Annual asylum applications in Germany stood at 168,543 persons in 2025, according to Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis) and Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF). It is one of the indicators in the International migration table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 1995 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the International migration table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total asylum applications2 | 168,543 | 250,945 | 351,915 | 244,132 | 190,816 | 122,170 | 165,938 | 185,853 | 222,683 | 745,545 | |
| Initial applications | 113,236 | 229,751 | 329,120 | 217,774 | 148,233 | 102,581 | 142,509 | 161,931 | 198,317 | 722,370 | |
| Subsequent applications and further information | 55,307 | 21,194 | 22,795 | 26,358 | 42,583 | 19,589 | 23,429 | 23,922 | 24,366 | 23,175 |
Understanding annual asylum applications in Germany
The aggregate count of asylum applications combines every formal petition for international protection submitted within the national territory across an annual reporting cycle. This metric encompasses both initial claims lodged by newly arrived applicants and subsequent claims filed by individuals whose previous proceedings ended. It excludes informal requests that have not been formally registered through an official asylum petition, general municipal registrations not linked to protection requests, and applications processed in other countries. Within the asylum section of the table, this row functions as the combined total, equalling the sum of initial and subsequent applications.
Procedural filing schedules dictate this annual asylum metric rather than real-time physical arrivals at national borders. During periods of elevated humanitarian arrivals, administrative processing backlogs can introduce delays between when an individual enters the country and when their formal application is officially recorded. Year-on-year comparisons are standard for tracking protection demands, reflecting changes in international conflicts and asylum procedures. Users must avoid conflating application volumes with granted protection statuses or with total foreign immigration, as application figures do not reflect final legal determinations or standard municipal registry filings.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this total asylum metric include children born in Germany to asylum seekers?
- Yes, formal asylum applications submitted for children born in Germany to parents undergoing or having completed asylum procedures are included.
- What is the relationship between this total and initial asylum applications?
- This total represents the sum of initial applications and subsequent applications lodged during the calendar year.
- Why might annual asylum applications diverge from foreign immigration statistics?
- Asylum metrics count legal protection petitions filed with asylum authorities, whereas immigration statistics record general municipal residency registrations across all visa categories.