Germany has once again recorded more than 100,000 first-time asylum applications in 2025, keeping the total firmly in six-figure territory—and exceeding the target set by Chancellor Friedrich Merz after the federal election. Some 106,298 initial applications were filed by the end of November, with that month alone accounting for 8,311 cases—roughly in line with previous months.
In October, authorities registered 8,823 applications, a 3.3% decrease from the month before, following a 17 percent increase between August and September. Shortly after the election, Merz told interviewer Caren Miosga that Germany must bring annual asylum arrivals below six figures:
It must not be a six-figure number anymore.
That goal has now been missed: 2025 marks the thirteenth consecutive year in which Germany has exceeded 100,000 first-time asylum claims. Merz also argued that the country has now reached its capacity.
The recognition rate for asylum seekers in 2025 stands at 27%. The decline is attributed mainly to significantly fewer Syrians being granted protection following the change of regime in Damascus. In the past, Syrian applications were approved in most cases.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt intends to expand deportations to Syria, and talks with Damascus regarding the return of criminal offenders are reportedly nearing completion. Courts have already ruled in individual cases that deportations to Syria are, in principle, legally permissible.
