According to the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra), the number of asylum applications continued to rise in 2023, reaching 142,500 applications – including 124,000 initial applications – an increase of 8.6% in a year.
This data puts demand at record levels in 2023 and confirms a long-term upward trend. “Forced displacement worldwide has reached a historically high level,” emphasizes Julien Boucher, Director General of Ofpra. It should come as no surprise that Europe has an echo of this situation. »
According to the United Nations, more than 110 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide by mid-2023, particularly due to the war in Ukraine and conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burma, drought, floods and insecurity in Somalia. or the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Developing countries accept 75% of these refugees.
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The situation in France therefore only very partially reflects this reality. Because “the increase in asylum applications in Europe is likely to reach 15 to 20% in 2023,” estimates Mr. Boucher. “Unlike other countries, asylum applications in France vary greatly depending on nationality, and this characteristic explains why the increase is significantly lower than at European level,” he analyzes. The largest asylum seekers in France are Afghans with 17,500 applications, ahead of Bangladeshis (8,600), Turks (8,500), Congolese (8,000) and Guineans (7,000). Ivory Coast, Georgia, Syria, Sudan and Ukraine complete the table of the top ten countries of origin.
Protection decisions are increasing
“France is very far behind Germany,” notes Mr. Boucher. In 2023, Berlin recorded more than 350,000 asylum applications, an increase of more than 51% compared to the previous year and the highest level since 2016, when more than 720,000 applications were received. Most asylum seekers in Germany are Syrians (105,000), while in France they rank eighth, particularly due to relocation measures in France. carried out by Ofpra from countries such as Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
Spain, for its part, recorded a 37% increase in its asylum applications compared to 2022, with more than 163,000 applicants, making it second in Europe. THE Venezuelans, Colombians and Peruvians alone make up almost 80% of applicants.
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