Italy rejects thousands of asylum claims from African nationals

Data from the Asylum Information Database 2025 Country Report on Italy reveals high rejection rates for asylum seekers from several African nations. In 2025, Italy rejected approximately 2,220 Nigerian applicants. Despite this, Nigerian nationals saw a refugee recognition rate of 19.47 per cent, which is significantly higher than Italy’s national average of 5.7 per cent.

Of the 3,390 decisions rendered on Nigerian cases, 660 were granted full refugee status, 55 received subsidiary protection, and 460 were granted national or special protection. This resulted in an overall protection rate of 34.66 per cent for Nigerians, exceeding Italy’s national rate of 30 per cent. As of late 2025, over 4,100 Nigerian cases remained pending.

Other nationalities also faced high rejection rates. Morocco saw approximately 90 per cent of first-instance cases rejected, with 5,695 rejections out of 6,315 decisions. Tunisia’s rejection rate was approximately 85 per cent, while Egypt’s was 83 per cent, recording 8,900 rejections. The statistics reflect asylum decisions rather than physical entries or deportations.