It was only ahead of the Germans Colombia with 2.8 million admitted refugees. The difference, however, is that in Germany it is mainly Syrians, Afghans and Ukrainians who find shelter, while in Colombia – mainly refugees from neighboring Venezuela.
The report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees covers three groups: 27 million people who have received protection against persecution in accordance with the Geneva Convention, 7.2 million people with other international protection status and 1.5 million migrants staying in refugee-like conditions.
According to UNHCR data, the largest group of refugees in Germany are Ukrainians — 1.2 million people, which means a decrease of 3%. compared to the previous year. The next places are taken by Syrians (668,600 people, a decrease of 8% compared to 2024) and Afghans (288,300 people, an increase of 3%).
New German citizens lower official refugee statistics
Since the 2015-2016 migration crisis, more than 1 million Syrians seeking asylum have arrived in Germany. This year, approximately 4,800 Syrians have submitted new asylum applications. Although only a few thousand people have left the country, the number of Syrians registered by UNHCR is decreasing mainly due to mass citizenship grants.
Among the six countries that receive a total of 36 percent. all refugees in the world, apart from Germany there is no Western country. Germany is followed by Türkiye with 2.4 million admitted refugees — almost all of them come from neighboring Syria. The next places are taken by: Uganda with 1.9 million, Iran with 1.7 million and Chad with 1.5 million refugees.
According to UNHCR data, by the end of 2025 the number of refugees staying in Turkey had decreased by 19% compared to the previous year. The report indicates that the main reason was the mass, voluntary return of Syrian refugees to their homeland.
