Cuban asylum seekers top Brazil's refugee applications in 2025

Brazil recorded 75,599 refugee applications in 2025, a record high. Cuban nationals filed 41,919 requests, representing 55.4% of the total and an 88.1% increase over 2024, overtaking Venezuelans for the first time. Venezuelan applicants submitted 21,233 requests (28.1%), a decline linked to political changes after the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro. Smaller numbers came from Colombia (1,432), Angola (1,253), Morocco (888) and Ghana (792).

The surge reflects worsening economic conditions and supply shortages in Cuba, while the drop in Venezuelan figures follows recent regime shifts. Since the pandemic, refugee applications have risen each year: 50,355 in 2022, 58,628 in 2023, 68,159 in 2024, and 75,599 in 2025. The National Refugee Committee (Conare) processed 52.4% of cases in Brazil's North region, especially in Roraima, with the Southeast handling 29.2%.

The data come from the “Refugee in Numbers 2026” report by the Observatorio de Migraciones Internacionales (OBMigra) in partnership with Brazil’s Ministry of Justice.