Most asylum requests from Eritreans for first time since 2016

© ANP / Ramon van Flymen
A total of 5.3 thousand people submitted a first-time asylum application in the Netherlands in the second quarter of 2025. That was 17 percent more than in the previous quarter, but 32 percent less than in Q1 2025. This was the first time since 2016 that Eritreans instead of Syrians made up the largest group. The total number of following family members remained almost the same as in the first quarter of 2025. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of the latest figures from the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).

The number of asylum requests from people of Eritrean nationality increased fivefold in the second quarter of 2025 compared to Q1 2025: from 235 to 1.2 thousand.

The number of asylum requests from Syria has been declining since late 2024, when the Assad regime fell. A total of 595 Syrians applied for asylum in Q2. That was 37 percent less than in the first quarter of 2025 and 78 percent less than in Q2 of 2024.

After Eritreans and Syrians, Turks made up the largest group (310 asylum requests). The number of applications made by this group decreased compared to a year ago, but remained almost the same as in Q1 of 2025.

One-third of asylum seekers are minors

One-third of people who made their first asylum application in Q2 2025 were aged under 18, up from 27 percent in Q1. There were particularly many minors among Eritrean asylum seekers: 64 percent were younger than 18 years. Most asylum requests were made by men: 72 percent of all first asylum applications.

Number of following family members remains the same

A total of 3.7 thousand following family members arrived in the Netherlands in Q2 2025, approximately the same as in the previous quarter. This number was 2.8 thousand in the same period last year. Three-quarters of following family members came from Syria: 2.8 thousand people compared to 3.0 thousand in Q1.


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