Europe's refugee population stabilises after decade of growth, study shows

Germany records a 4.7 percent fall in refugees and asylum-seekers

Europe's refugee and asylum-seeker population stabilised in 2025 after more than a decade of growth, as asylum applications fell for a second consecutive year, according to a report by the Centre for the Research and Analysis of Migration at the Rockwool Foundation Berlin seen by Reuters on Friday.

The number of refugees and asylum seekers in the European Union and Britain stood at 9.59 million in 2025, little changed from 9.58 million a year earlier, marking a sharp shift from the rapid increases seen after Russia's military campain in Ukraine.

Asylum applications fell to 770,000 in 2025 from 1.01 million in 2024 and 1.1 million in 2023, the report said.

"The period of rapid growth in Europe's refugee population appears to have come to an end," said Tommaso Frattini, deputy director at the institute.

Immigration has become a contentious issue in many European countries in recent years amid a rise in support for far-right and right-wing populist parties.

The stable overall figure masked differences between countries: Germany, Europe's largest host country, recorded a 4.7 percent decline in its refugee and asylum-seeker population and Italy saw a 17.9 percent drop, while France, Spain and Britain recorded increases.

The report said Germany's decline largely reflected lower inflows and the naturalisation of earlier refugee groups, especially Syrians and Iraqis, rather than departures.

Syrians filed more than 70 percent fewer asylum applications after the collapse of the Assad regime in late 2024, while applications from Venezuelans rose 24 percent to 91,000.

Ukrainians still account for nearly half of all refugees and asylum seekers in the EU and Britain, the report said.