UNHCR Germany Fact Sheet February 2026

Germany has a long tradition in refugee protection and ranks among the largest refugee hosting countries globally. Germany maintains a functioning protection system for forcibly displaced and stateless people and supports the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees. Germany is one of the largest humanitarian donors globally. In 2025, Germany was UNHCR’s third largest and most flexible donor. HIGHLIGHTS Germany as a country of asylum Over 168,000 asylum applications were lodged in 2025. First applications went down to 113,000 which is a reduction by over 50% as compared to the previous year. The number of repeat applications was unusually high (over 55,000), following a surge of applications submitted by Afghan women present in Germany in reaction to the CJEU judgment on the persecution faced by women in Afghanistan. Almost 311,000 decisions were adopted by the authorities, with more than 87,000 applicants granted refugee status, subsidiary or humanitarian protection. Moreover, more than 1.25 million refugees from Ukraine held temporary protection status in Germany at the end of the year.