Nigeria ranked sixth among the top 10 countries whose nationals applied for asylum in the Netherlands in 2025, with 986 applications recorded during the year.
Data from the Netherlands’ asylum information database showed that Nigerian applicants accounted for 9.04 per cent of the 10,908 asylum applications recorded from the top 10 countries of origin during the period.
The Dutch authorities noted that the statistics covered applicants, including children and dependants, but cautioned that some data for 2025 had not been made publicly available at the time of reporting.
Of the 986 applications submitted by Nigerians, 515 cases were decided during the year. The data showed that 425 applications were rejected, while 65 applicants were granted refugee status.
Another 10 Nigerians received subsidiary protection, while 15 were granted humanitarian protection.
Nigeria recorded the highest rejection rate among the top 10 countries, with 83 per cent of decided applications rejected. Its overall protection rate stood at 17 per cent, comprising a 13 per cent refugee recognition rate, two per cent subsidiary protection and three per cent humanitarian protection.
Syria topped the list with 3,373 asylum applicants, followed by Eritrea with 3,178 applications.
Turkey ranked third, while Somalia and Algeria occupied fourth and fifth positions respectively.
Nigeria followed in sixth place, ahead of Sudan, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which ranked seventh, eighth and ninth respectively.
The 10th category comprised applicants whose nationality could not be established.
The figures highlight Nigeria’s position among the leading sources of asylum applications to the Netherlands, while also showing the relatively high proportion of applications rejected by Dutch authorities during the period under review.
