The approval rate for asylum applications at Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees rose to 47.4% in the first half of 2026, compared with 37.5% for all of 2025, alongside a significant decline in the number of new applications. According to data included in the German government’s response to a parliamentary inquiry from the Left parliamentary group, this rate does not include formal decisions in which the protection application is not examined on its merits.
Family protection leads approval decisions
Protection applications submitted by people from Afghanistan recorded an approval rate of 89.3%, while Afghanistan topped the countries of origin for asylum applications registered during the first half of the year. A ruling issued by the Court of Justice of the European Union in October 2024 contributed to the higher protection rate.
The ruling found that women arriving from Afghanistan since 2021 are, in principle, entitled to protection. During the first half of 2026, the Federal Office approved protection status for about 95% of applications concerning Afghan women, according to the German government’s response.
By contrast, the number of people submitting initial asylum applications in Germany fell to 39,646 during the first half of the year, compared with 72,818 initial applications during the same period in 2025.
