January 26, 2024
By Jiwoo Choi
In 2023, France bore witness to a historic upswing in asylum seekers, as over 140,000 individuals sought refuge—an 8.6% surge from the preceding year. Within this cohort, 123,400 pursued fresh asylum claims, while 470 sought recognition of statelessness. Afghanistan maintained its prominent position, securing the top spot for the sixth consecutive year, with 17,500 new applications. Noteworthy contributors to the top 10 included Bangladesh, Turkey, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guinea.
The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) meticulously adjudicated a total of 136,700 cases in the same year. Impressively, approximately 33% of these cases garnered approval for international protection—a notable ascent from 29% in 2022 and 26% in 2021. Afghanistan demonstrated a particularly elevated protection rate exceeding 69%, in stark contrast to Turkey's 17% and Bangladesh's meager sub-8%.
The overall processing time for asylum applications witnessed a commendable reduction to 4.2 months, signifying a marked improvement from the 5.2 months recorded in 2022. Julien Bousset, Secretary-General of OFPRA, offered insights into the global panorama, underscoring the historic peaks in forced migration globally and emphasizing Europe's pivotal role in navigating this intricate situation.
In the European landscape, Germany claimed the lead with 350,000 asylum applications, reflecting a substantial 51% surge from the preceding year. Spain closely followed suit, registering 163,000 applications and experiencing a notable 37% uptick. Notably, over 80% of Spain's applicants hailed from Spanish-speaking nations such as Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru.