Germany sees fewer asylum applications but higher approval rate

The number of new asylum applications in Germany has fallen sharply, while the proportion of applicants granted protection has recently risen again, the latest official figures show.

A total of 39,646 people filed first-time asylum applications in Germany in the first half of 2026, down from 72,818 in the same period last year, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).

At the same time, the rate of people granted protection status stood at 47.4% in the first six months of the year, up from 37.5% for 2025 as a whole.

The rate excludes cases that are closed without the asylum claim itself being examined.

The asylum applications of families were particularly successful, with protection granted in 21,195 cases in the first half of 2026. This accounted for 45.6% of positive decisions.

Afghanistan was the main country of origin among asylum applicants in the first half of the year, according to a government response to a parliamentary inquiry by The Left party seen by dpa.

The approval rate for Afghans stood at 89.3%.

One factor behind the increase is a 2024 European Court of Justice decision that ruled that women from Afghanistan are generally entitled to protection because they are at risk of gender-based persecution under the Taliban regime.

Nearly 95% of decisions involving Afghan women resulted in protection being granted.

The government also said BAMF had filed only three criminal complaints since a provision targeting false or incomplete information provided in asylum proceedings took effect in February 2024.