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Overview of statistical practice
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) publishes monthly statistical reports (Aktuelle Zahlen zu Asyl) with information on applications and first instance decisions for main nationalities. More detailed information is provided in the monthly Asylgeschäftsstatistik and in other BAMF publications (Bundesamt in Zahlen).[1] Furthermore, detailed statistics can be found in responses to information requests which are regularly submitted by German members of parliament.
|
|
Applicants in 2019 |
Pending at end 2019 |
Refugee status |
Subsidiary protection |
Rejection |
Refugee rate |
Subs. Prot. rate |
Rejection rate |
|
Total |
165,938 |
57,012 |
45,053 |
19,419 |
54,034 |
36.2% |
15.6% |
43.4% |
|
Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers |
||||||||
|
Syria |
41,094 |
14,210 |
22,705 |
15,173 |
57 |
59% |
39.5% |
0.2% |
|
Iraq |
15,348 |
5,550 |
4,639 |
705 |
5,761 |
38.8% |
5.9% |
48.2% |
|
Turkey |
11,423 |
6,497 |
4,871 |
39 |
4,435 |
51.2% |
0.4% |
36.9% |
|
Aghanistan |
11,306 |
4,188 |
1,734 |
480 |
2,688 |
23.8% |
6.6% |
36.9% |
|
Nigeria |
10,533 |
2,466 |
446 |
93 |
5,480 |
7% |
1.5% |
85.5% |
|
Iran |
9,498 |
4,392 |
1,906 |
133 |
5,334 |
25.7% |
1.8% |
71.8% |
|
Undetermined |
4,228 |
1,975 |
2,189 |
328 |
876 |
63.1% |
9.5% |
25.2% |
|
Somalia |
4,154 |
1,618 |
1,663 |
319 |
997 |
51.3% |
9.8% |
30.7% |
|
Eritrea |
3,743 |
1,421 |
2,125 |
858 |
376 |
56.6% |
22.9% |
10% |
|
Georgia |
3,880 |
642 |
4 |
1 |
2,827 |
0.1% |
0% |
99.2% |
Source: BAMF, Aktuelle Zahlen December 2019, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3iO0nv8, 3; BAMF, Asylgeschäftsstatistik 12/2019; Federal Government, Response to information request by The Left, 19/18498, 2 April 2020, 4.
In addition, a “humanitarian status” (impediment to deportation) was granted in 5,857 cases (4.7%). The figures presented in the table above represent the “adjusted protection rates” (bereinigte Schutzquoten). This means that “formal decisions” are not taken into account. There were 59,591 “formal decisions” in 2019, in which the applications were rejected as “inadmissible” or in which the asylum procedure was terminated for other reasons. In all of these cases, the substance of the case was not examined by the asylum authorities. In contrast, official statistics usually represent the “overall protection rate” (Gesamtschutzquoten), which is determined by including the formal decisions. The overall protection rates for 2019 are:
- Refugee rate: 24.5%, Subsidiary protection rate: 10.6%, “Humanitarian status”: 3.2%, Rejection: 29.4%, Formal decisions: 32.4%.
Gender/age breakdown of the total number of applicants: 2019 (first applications)
|
|
Number |
Percentage |
|
Total number of applicants |
142,509 |
100% |
|
Men |
42,696 |
30% |
|
Women |
28,392 |
19.9% |
|
Children |
71,421 |
50.1% |
|
Unaccompanied children |
2,632 |
1.8% |
Source: BAMF, Aktuelle Zahlen, December 2019, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3iO0nv8, 8; Federal Government, Response to information request by The Left, 19/18498, 2 April 2020, 36. Note that the figures on unaccompanied children is part of the number on children.
Comparison between first instance and appeal decision rates: 2019 (“adjusted decision rates”, excluding formal decisions):
|
|
First instance |
Appeal |
||
|
|
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
|
Total number of decisions |
124,363 |
100% |
84,324 |
100% |
|
Positive decisions |
70,329 |
56.6% |
22,302 |
26.4% |
|
Refugee status |
45,053 |
36.2% |
8,956 |
10.6% |
|
Subsidiary protection |
19,419 |
15.6% |
2,484 |
2.9% |
|
humanitarian status |
5,857 |
4.7% |
10,862 |
12.9% |
|
Negative decisions |
54,034 |
43.4% |
62,022 |
73.6% |
Source: BAMF, Aktuelle Zahlen Dezember 2019, available at: https://bit.ly/3iO0nv8, 3, and Federal Government, Response to information request by The Left, 19/18498, 2 April 2020, 45.