Nigeria has overtaken other nations to become the leading source of asylum seekers in Ireland, according to fresh figures released by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
In August 2025, the department’s report revealed that Ireland recorded 1,164 new asylum applications in July 2025. This marks a significant decrease from the 1,735 applications received in July 2024, representing a sharp year-on-year decline. Between January and July 2025, Ireland received a total of 7,207 asylum applications — a 42 percent drop compared to 12,236 during the same period last year.
Nigeria accounted for the highest number of new asylum applications during this period, with 1,083 cases submitted. Other major source countries included Pakistan with 945 applications, Somalia with 933, Afghanistan with 767, and Georgia with 462.
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The department also highlighted notable progress in addressing Ireland’s asylum backlog. At the end of September 2024, the International Protection Office (IPO) had 23,863 pending cases. By July 2025, the figure had dropped to 18,323, reflecting a substantial reduction in unresolved claims.
Authorities further reported an increase in the number of concluded cases. In July 2025, 1,755 applications were resolved, compared to 1,294 during the same month in 2024. Officials, however, emphasized that the statistics, extracted on August 8, remain operational and subject to change as applications continue to be processed.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom continues to face record-high asylum numbers. In the year leading to June 2025, the UK reported nearly 89,000 asylum applications, with a backlog of more than 224,000 cases awaiting decisions or appeals.
