Afghan nationals filed the highest number of asylum applications in France in 2025, with 13,800 claims, and had one of the highest approval rates among major nationalities, according to figures from France’s refugee agency.
The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons said Afghans ranked first among countries of origin for asylum seekers last year. About 78.8 percent of Afghan applicants were granted international protection.
After Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 13,200 applications, followed by Haiti with 12,600 and Ukraine with 12,300.
Together, these four countries accounted for more than one-third of all asylum claims lodged in France in 2025, the agency said.
France registered 145,210 applications for international protection by the end of 2025, a decline of about 5.5 percent compared with 2024. The agency said this marked the second consecutive annual drop in asylum applications since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Despite the overall decrease, approval rates rose. About 41 precent of applications were accepted at the initial review stage in 2025, suggesting improved prospects for applicants compared with the previous year.
Including decisions overturned on appeal, nearly 79,000 people were ultimately granted asylum or international protection in France in 2025, the report said.
