Belgium records fewer applications for international protection in 2025 while protection rate drops sharply
In 2025, Belgium received 34.439 applications for international protection, a decline compared with 2024. The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) took decisions on 31.457 people, with a protection rate falling to its lowest level in over a decade. Key factors behind this trend include the suspension of the processing of Syrian cases in the first ten months of 2025 and prioritisation of applications from individuals already protected in other EU Member States.
The CGRS communicates, among other things, the following figures and trends for the year:
-
Overall applications: 34.439 people applied for international protection in 2025, averaging 2.870 per month; this is 13% lower than in 2024 and 3% lower than in 2023.
-
Main countries of origin: Afghanistan, Palestine, Eritrea, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Turkey.
-
Subsequent applications: 6.865 applications were subsequent claims, representing 20% of all requests, up from 16.3% in 2024. Some countries, such as Moldova (50.7%) and Afghanistan (39.2%), had particularly high shares of subsequent applications.
-
Applications from minors and individuals protected in other Member States: 1.673 applicants declared themselves as unaccompanied minors (MENA), 35.5% fewer than in 2024. Of these, 702 were later assessed as adults. Applications from people already granted protection in another EU Member State fell by 45.5%, from 4.825 in 2024 to 2.629 in 2025.
-
CGRS decisions: 25.920 decisions were taken concerning 31.457 people; 24.953 cases were final decisions.
-
Protection rate: Only 28.4% of final decisions granted international protection, down from 47.8% in 2024 and 43.5% in 2023. This decrease was largely due to (i) the suspension of the processing of Syrian cases during most of 2025, following a freeze on decisions in late 2024, and (ii) the prioritisation of “status M” applicants (those already protected in another EU Member State) which mostly resulted in inadmissibility decisions.
For further details, please read the press release from the CGRS.