Statistics

Germany

Country Report: Statistics Last updated: 10/07/24

Author

Teresa Fachinger, Paula Hoffmeyer-Zlotnik and Marlene Stiller

Overview of statistical practice (1)

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.

Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: figures for 2023

Applicants in 2023 Pending at

end of 2023

Total decisions in 2023 (1) Total in merit decisions Total negative decisions (2) In merit rejection Refugee status[2] Subsidiary protection Humanitarian protection (removal ban)
Total 351,915 239,614 261,601 197,055 126,324 61,778 42,525 71,290 61,778
Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers
Syria 104,561 56,682 88,477 78,049 10,483 55 10,614 67,044 336
Türkiye 62,624 57,346 24,131 17,704 20,982 14,555 2,896 200 53
Afghanistan 53,582 39,000 46,373 35,936 10,915 478 16,254 1,115 18,089
Iraq 12,360 9,535 12,943 9,745 9,712 6,514 2,140 491 600
Iran 10,206 8,766 6,894 4,481 4,857 2,444 1,818 149 70
Georgia 9,399 3,012 10,038 7,995 10,007 7,964 8 2 21
Russia 9,028 5,703 5,246 1,658 4,766 1,178 368 104 8
North Macedonia 5,999 1,349 6,864 3,353 6,863 3,352 1 0 0
Somalia 5,773 5,004 3,963 3,268 897 202 1,828 324 914
undetermined[3] 4,299 3,315 3,673 2,772 1,572 671 1,638 397 66

Source: BAMF, Asylgeschäftsstatistik (01-12/23), available in German at: https://bit.ly/42Qi7xq.

Note 1: Statistics on decisions cover the decisions taken throughout the year, regardless of whether they concern applications lodged that year or in previous years.

Note 2: This includes both rejections based on the merit of the application and inadmissibility decisions or other formal reasons for not granting protection.

 

In addition to refugee status and subsidiary protection, applicants can be issued two types of national protection statuses: on the one hand, constitutional asylum, which gives rise to the same rights as the recognition of refugee status (the figures on refugee status thus include constitutional asylum),[4] and on the other hand, a ‘removal ban’ for compelling humanitarian reasons (explained briefly under Short overview of the asylum procedure). Note that this includes only removal bans issued by the BAMF, and not by immigration authorities. The BAMF only examines removal bans due to the situation in the country of origin, whereas immigration authorities can issue removal bans based on the situation of the applicant in Germany (e.g. medical reasons, family unity etc).

 

Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: rates for 2023

  Overall rejection rate (2) In merit rejection rate (1) Overall protection rate (2) In merit protection rate (1) Refugee rate[5] (1) Subsidiary

protection rate (1)

Humanitarian

protection (removal ban)

rate (1)

Total 23.6% 31.4% 51.7% 68.6% 21.6% 36.2% 10.9%
Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers
Syria 0.1% 0.1% 88.2% 99.9% 13.6% 85.9% 0.4%
Turkey 60.3% 82.2% 13.0% 17.8% 16.4% 1.1% 0.3%
Afghanistan 1.0% 1.3% 76.5% 98.7% 45.2% 3.1% 50.3%
Iraq 50.3% 66.8% 25.0% 33.2% 22.0% 5.0% 6.2%
Iran 35.5% 54.5% 29.5% 45.5% 40.6% 3.3% 1.6%
Georgia 79.3% 99.6% 0.3% 0.4% 0.1% 0.0% 0.3%
Russia 22.5% 71.0% 9.1% 29.0% 22.2% 6.3% 0.5%
North Macedonia 48.8% 100.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Somalia 5.1% 6.2% 77.4% 93.8% 55.9% 9.9% 28.0%
undetermined[6] 18.3% 24.2% 57.2% 75.8% 59.1% 14.3% 2.4%

Source of the percentages: BAMF, Asylgeschäftsstatistik (01-12/23), available in German at https://bit.ly/42Qi7xq.

Note 1: These rates are calculated based on in merit decisions only, excluding non in merit rejections.

Note 2: these rates are calculated based on total decisions. For calculation of these percentages, formal decisions are counted as neither protection nor rejection decisions, but as a separate category.

 

With the exception of columns 1 and 3, the figures presented in the table above represent both the “adjusted protection rates” (bereinigte Schutzquoten) based only on merit-based decisions. The overall protection and rejection rate (colums 1 and 3) also include ‘formal decisions’. There were 64,546 ‘formal decisions’ in 2023, in which the applications were rejected as inadmissible or in which the asylum procedure was terminated for other reasons. In all these cases, the substance of the case was not examined by the asylum authorities. Official statistics usually only represent the ‘overall protection rate’ (Gesamtschutzquoten), which is determined by including the formal decisions. The overall protection rates for 2023 are:

  • Refugee rate (incl. constitutional asylum): 16.3%,
  • Subsidiary protection rate: 27.3%,
  • ‘Removal ban’: 8.2%,
  • Rejection: 23.6%,
  • Formal decisions: 24.7%.[7]

 

Gender/age breakdown of the total number of applicants: 2023 (first applications only)

  Adults Children
all Among them unaccompanied
Number 225,603 103,517 15,269
Percentage 68.5% 31.5% 4.6% of first-time applicants

 

  Men Women
Number 235,465 93,655
Percentage 71.5% 28.5%

Source: BAMF, Aktuelle Zahlen, December 2023, available in German at: https://bit.ly/4aKHsLn, 8, and BAMF, Das Bundesamt in Zahlen, 8 March 2023, available in German at: https://tinyurl.com/2d97wc7y.

Note: The gender breakdown (Men/Women) applies to all applicants, not only adults.

 

First instance and appeal decision rates: 2023 (‘adjusted decision rates’, excluding formal decisions)

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 (whole of 2023) Appeal (January – August 2023)
  Number Percentage Number Percentage
Total number of decisions 261,601 61,207
Total number of in-merit decisions 197,055 100% 23,129 100%
Positive decisions (in merit) 135,277 68.6% 5,881 25.4%
  • Refugee status (incl. constitutional asylum)
41,525 21.6% 2,616 11.3%
  • Subsidiary protection
71,290 36.2% 736 3.2%
  • Humanitarian protection
21,462 10.9% 2,529 10.9%
Negative decisions (in merit) 61,778 31.4% 17,248 74.6%

Source: BAMF, Asylgeschäftsstatistik (01-12/23), available in German at https://bit.ly/42Qi7xq and BAMF Federal Government, Response to parliamentary question by The Left, 20/9933, 28 December 2023, available in German at: https://bit.ly/42NJDMa, 16.a3.

 

 

 

[1] BAMF, Asylzahlen, available in German at: https://bit.ly/4aUtV5n.

[2] These include decisions on constitutional asylum.

[3] The category ‘undetermined’ (ungeklärt) applies in most cases to persons who have lived in a country for a long time without having the nationality of this country, such as Palestinian refugees having lived in Syria before arriving in Germany. According to the BAMF, their asylum applications are treated with regard to the situation in the country of residence. The category further applies in cases where the information on the country of origin indicated by the applicant is disproven or deemed not credible by the BAMF, and where no other country of origin can be established. See Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Knapp 500 Asylbewerber mit unbekannter Herkunft, 23 May 2021, available in German at: http://bit.ly/40ARLNz.

[4] Constitutional asylum was granted in 1,937 cases in 2022.

[5] These include decisions on constitutional asylum.

[6] The category ‘undetermined’ (ungeklärt) applies in most cases to persons who have lived in a country for a long time without having the nationality of this country, such as Palestinian refugees having lived in Syria before arriving in Germany. According to the BAMF, their asylum applications are treated with regard to the situation in the country of residence. The category further applies in cases where the information on the country of origin indicated by the applicant is disproven or deemed not credible by the BAMF, and where no other country of origin can be established. See Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Knapp 500 Asylbewerber mit unbekannter Herkunft, 23 May 2021, available in German at: http://bit.ly/40ARLNz.

[7] BAMF, Aktuelle Zahlen, December 2022, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3TDLUEZ, 11.

Table of contents

  • Statistics
  • Overview of the legal framework
  • Overview of the main changes since the previous report update
  • Asylum Procedure
  • Reception Conditions
  • Detention of Asylum Seekers
  • Content of International Protection
  • ANNEX I – Transposition of the CEAS in national legislation