Author
Overview of statistical practice
Monthly statistics are published by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum,[1] however detailed data on breakdown per nationalities are not included. Moreover, percentage of recognition/rejection rate is calculated on the basis of the total number of decisions (including inadmissible decisions, implicit withdrawals, archived cases, etc.) having as a result a certain underestimation of the international protection recognition rate compared to the actual recognition rate based on the in-merits decision issued.
Applications and granting of protection status at first instance in 2023:
| Applicants in 2023 | Pending at
end of 2023 |
Total decisions in 2023 | Total in merit decisions | Total rejection | In merit rejection | Refugee status | Subsidiary protection | Humanitarian protection | ||
| Total | 64,212[2] | 29,885 | 41,430[3] | 32,529 | 16,494 | 7,593 | 24,345 | 591 | Abolished by Article 20 L. 4825/2021 | |
| Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers | ||||||||||
| Palestine | 6,736 | – | – | – | – | – | 6,357 | 34 | n/a | |
| Afghanistan | 9,488 | – | – | – | – | – | 6,009 | 91 | n/a | |
| Iraq | 6,455 | – | – | – | – | – | 5,181 | 25 | n/a | |
| Syria | 14,015 | – | – | – | – | – | 2,699 | 2 | n/a | |
| Somalia | 2,935 | – | – | – | – | – | 784 | 91 | n/a | |
| Eritrea | 1,826 | – | – | – | – | – | 828 | 2 | n/a | |
| DR Congo | 1,528 | – | – | – | – | – | 279 | 27 | n/a | |
| Pakistan | 4,077 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a | |
| Türkiye | 2,714 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a | |
| Egypt | 2,498 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a | |
| Other | 11,940 | – | – | – | – | – | 318 | n/a | ||
Source: MoMA, Factsheet – December 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3zjCd8o.
Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: rates for year
| Overall rejection rate | In merit rejection rate | Overall protection rate | In merit protection rate | Refugee rate | Subsidiary
protection rate |
Humanitarian
protection rate |
|
| Total | 39.80% | 23.34% | – | 76.65% | 74.84 % | 1.81% | abolished by Article 20 L. 4825/2021 |
| Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers | |||||||
| Palestine | – | – | 99.18% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Yemen | – | – | 97.94% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Sudan | – | – | 95.73% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Ukraine | – | – | 93.17% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Iraq | – | – | 92.01% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Afghanistan | – | – | 86.22% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Eritrea | – | – | 79.69% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Syria | – | – | 63.64% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Türkiye | – | – | 60.90% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Cameroon | – | – | 52.39% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Pakistan | – | – | 1.43% | – | – | – | n/a |
| Egypt | – | – | 0.91% | – | – | – | n/a |
Source of the percentages: MoMA, Factsheet – December 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3zjCd8o.
Gender/age breakdown of the total number of applicants: (2023)
| Adults | Children | ||
| Accompanied | Unaccompanied | ||
| Number | 49,581 | 11,694 | 2,937 |
| Percentage | 77.21% | 18.21% | 4.57% |
| Men | Women | |
| Number | 47,406 | 16,806 |
| Percentage | 73.82% | 26.17% |
Source: MoMA, Factsheet – December 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3zjCd8o.
Note: The gender breakdown (Men/Women) applies to all applicants, not only adults.
Comparison between first instance and appeal decision rates: 2023
It should be noted that, during the same year, the first instance and appeal authorities handle different caseloads. Thus, the decisions below do not concern the same applicants.
| First instance | Appeal | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Total number of decisions | 32,529 | 100% | 7,605 | 100% |
| Positive decisions | 24,936 | 76.65% | 886 | 11.65% |
|
24,345 | 74.84% | 655 | 8.61% |
|
591 | 1.81% | 222 | 2.91% |
|
– | – | 9 | 0.11% |
| Negative decisions | 7,593 | 23.34% | 6,719 | 88.34% |
Source: MoMA, Factsheet – December 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3zjCd8o.
* Numbers above refer to in merits Decisions in the case of first instance decisions. In the case of Appeals, given no relevant breakdown is provided, data concerns the total number and outcome of appeals against both first instance in-merit negative decisions and against first instance inadmissibility decisions.
[1] MoMA, Statistics, available at: https://bit.ly/3OFlP83.
[2] 57,891 fist time applicants, 6,321 subsequent applications, MoMA, Factsheet – December 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3zjCd8o.
[3] There are also 9,938 Acts of Interruption (implicit withdrawal) and 946 explicit withdrawals and archived applications, MoMA, Factsheet – December 2023, idib.
[4] Other positive Decisions on second instance refers to second instance Decisions rejecting the Appeal submitted against a first instance Decision not granting refugee protections but finding that the applicant should be recognized as a beneficiary of subsidiary protection, by which the status of the beneficiary of subsidiary protection is maintained.