BRUSSELS

Belgium's asylum protection rate dropped sharply in 2025, falling below 30% for the first time since 2013, while the number of asylum applications also declined, official figures showed Tuesday.

The protection rate, the share of asylum decisions in which the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) grants refugee status or subsidiary protection, stood at 28.4% last year, down from 47.2% in 2024, Belga news agency reported.

The temporary suspension of Syrian asylum cases for most of 2025, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, was a key factor in the decline.

Syrians had long been the largest group of asylum seekers in Belgium, with around 44,000 granted protection since the outbreak of the civil war.

The CGRS also prioritized cases involving applicants holding "M status" -- those already granted protection in another EU member state -- limiting their chances of receiving protection in Belgium under new rules.

Overall, 67% of applications were rejected in 2025.

Refugee status, granted to individuals facing targeted persecution, was awarded in 27% of cases, while subsidiary protection, for those at serious risk due to war or torture, was granted in 2% of cases.

The number of asylum applications also fell to 34,439 in 2025, compared with 39,615 in 2024. The decline was particularly marked in the final four months of the year, exceeding the European average.

Syrian applications dropped 74%, while those from Palestinians fell 40%, Somalis 30% and Iraqis 21%.