Marrakech – Moroccan nationals submitted 21,002 asylum applications across EU+ countries in 2025, according to the European Union Agency for Asylum’s annual report published on March 3. The figure places Morocco among the top 20 nationalities applying for asylum in the bloc, with Italy, Spain, and Slovenia receiving the largest shares.
Of these applications, 19,645 were first-time claims. EU+ authorities issued 15,483 decisions on Moroccan cases during the year. The recognition rate stood at just 4%, meaning roughly 96% of decisions resulted in rejection.
Some 15,619 Moroccan cases remained pending at first instance by year’s end, while 3,795 applications were withdrawn. No Moroccans arrived through resettlement channels.
Morocco was included in the first EU-wide list of safe countries of origin, adopted by the Council in late February 2026. The list also covers Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, and Tunisia.
Nationals of these seven countries together accounted for 16% of all asylum applications lodged in the EU+ in 2025. Recognition rates for all seven ranged between 2% and 6%.
On the operational side, Spain and Morocco intensified coordination on border management and maritime surveillance throughout 2025. This cooperation coincided with a sharp 63% drop in detections of irregular crossings along the Western African route.
Departures from Morocco specifically declined by 17%. In contrast, departures from neighboring Algeria increased over the same period.
The broader EU+ picture showed a significant decline in asylum applications. Around 822,000 claims were lodged in 2025, a 19% drop compared to 2024. The decrease followed an 11% decline the previous year. Five countries – Germany (163,000), France (152,000), Spain (143,000), Italy (134,000), and Greece (62,000) – received 80% of all applications.
Afghans topped the list with 117,000 applications, a 33% increase driven largely by repeated claims from women already in the EU+ following a landmark CJEU ruling on Taliban persecution. Some 42% of Afghan applications were repeats, up from 14% in 2024. The surge was concentrated in Germany and Austria.
Read also: CNDH: Morocco Hosts Nearly 18,000 Refugees, Asylum Seekers From Over 60 Countries
Venezuelans came second with a record 91,000 applications, up 23%, with 94% filed in Spain. Venezuela remains mired in severe economic and political turmoil, while tightened US immigration policies and stricter visa requirements across Latin America pushed more Venezuelans toward the EU+.
Syrian applications collapsed by 72% to 42,000 after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Most EU+ countries paused processing Syrian claims during 2025 pending clarity on the evolving situation, while UNHCR recorded 1.4 million Syrian returns from abroad.
Bangladeshis (37,000) filed 15% fewer applications but remained the nationality most frequently detected illegally crossing the EU’s external border, especially in the Central Mediterranean. Their recognition rate stood at just 3%.
Turks (33,000) saw a 40% decline, down from over 100,000 in 2023, with analysts linking the drop to stricter border controls along the Western Balkans route – where detections fell by 42% – and a low 13% recognition rate that may be discouraging potential applicants.
The EU+ recognition rate fell to a record low of 29% in 2025, down from around 40% in previous years. The drop was driven primarily by fewer decisions issued to Syrians, who historically carried high recognition rates, and by more decisions going to nationalities with low approval rates.
At the end of 2025, approximately 863,000 cases were pending at first instance. Across all instances, including appeals, an estimated 1.2 million cases remained unresolved – near record levels exceeding even the 2015-2016 refugee crisis.
Around 49% of all 2025 applications came from nationalities with recognition rates at or below 20%. Under the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, set to enter into force in mid-2026, these applicants will face mandatory accelerated border procedures.
The report also flagged geopolitical risks for 2026, including potential instability in Iran and the impact of a 30% contraction in global humanitarian funding in 2025. Some 4.5 million Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection remained registered across the EU+ at year’s end.
