(de-news.net) – Germany experienced a substantial decrease in asylum applications during the first half of 2025. According to data from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), approximately 65,500 applications were submitted between 1 January and 30 June. This represents a 43 percent decline compared to the same period in the previous year. With fewer than 7,000 applications filed in June, the monthly figure reached its lowest level since March 2013, apart from the pandemic-induced declines in spring 2020.

Consequently, for the first time in several years, Germany no longer ranks first in Europe in terms of asylum applications. Spain (76,020) and France (75,428) have taken the lead, placing Germany third, ahead of Italy (62,534) and Greece (27,718).

Most asylum seekers in Germany originated from Afghanistan (22 percent), Syria (20 percent), and Turkey (11 percent). Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) interpreted the decline as a validation of his stricter migration policies. He described the development as “a clear success of the migration turnaround” and affirmed the government’s commitment to continuing its course “consistently.”