Number of asylum-seekers in Germany surges 50 percent in 2023
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The number of individuals applying for asylum in Germany experienced a significant upsurge in 2023, reaching a total of 351,915, which marks a notable increase of 51.1 percent compared to 2022.
Syrians recorded the highest number of asylum-seekers, with a total of 104,561 applications, followed by 62,624 Turkish asylum-seekers, and 53,582 Afghans, according to official data released by Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
The number of asylum seekers in Germany in 2023 remains significantly lesser than the figures recorded in 2015-2016, when over one million individuals immigrated to the country, predominantly originating from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
Moreover, Germany has provided refuge to over a million Ukrainians since the beginning of the conflict in their country.
Meanwhile, the German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, said that “the asylum figures for 2023 show that we must consistently continue our course to limit irregular migration.”
“We protect people from war and terror,” she added. “On the other hand, those who do not need protection must also leave our country.”
Roughly one million Syrian asylum-seekers and refugees live in the EU. Germany alone hosts around 59% of them. Across Europe, Syrians have usually been provided with international protection status. However, procedures tend to be long, which is why many Syrians have taken dangerous routes to reach the continent.