The number of asylum applications in Germany has fallen sharply

Germany is no longer the EU leader in the number of asylum applications - the country has fallen to fourth place due to a sharp decline in the flow of refugees. This is reported by Welt am Sonntag with reference to the data of the European Asylum Agency (EUAA).

In the first quarter of 2026 in Germany filed 28.9 thousand applications for asylum - this is 23% less than a year earlier and the lowest figure since 2015.

France (34.6 thousand), Spain (32.6 thousand) and Italy (32.6 thousand) are now ahead.

Experts attribute the drop primarily to a sharp decline in the number of applicants from Syria and Ukraine. The share of Syrians in Germany dropped to 9 per cent of all applications, whereas earlier it was much higher. Ukrainian applications dropped by 57% and totalled about 4,000. Also, the application review policy has changed: if previously almost all Syrian applications were approved, now the approval rate has dropped to 5.3%.

The total flow of applications to the EU, Norway and Switzerland fell by 18% to 173 thousand applications. The fall in Syrian applications was particularly notable - minus 63% across Europe as a whole.

After the change of power in Syria at the end of 2024, European countries began to consider that the grounds for mass asylum for Syrians are no longer relevant, - says the publication.

Analysts also point to tightening regulations in the EU and Germany. New measures, including increased border controls and deportation flights, have made the country less attractive to migrants.

Against this background, the leaders in the number of applications in Germany are citizens of Afghanistan, who account for about 38 per cent of all applications.