Navarra sees first drop in asylum requests as global displaced persons fall

UN agencies report that the number of people displaced worldwide fell for the first time in a decade, decreasing by about 5% to 115 million, with 42.5 million classified as refugees. The decline is attributed not to improved safety but to increasingly restrictive border policies and forced returns.

In Spain’s Navarre region, the total of 1,415 asylum applications recorded in 2025 matched the previous year’s figure, while the national acceptance rate slipped to roughly 11%, placing Spain among the EU’s lowest‑recognition countries. CEAR Navarra warns that the tightening of external‑border controls, the new migration and asylum pact’s “safe country of origin” provisions, and rising hate‑crime incidents (up 23.6% in the region) will soon affect the region’s capacity to grant protection and integrate refugees. The organization calls for stronger commitments to safeguard basic rights such as housing, registration, and social benefits.