The Netherlands records a sharp decline of 33% in asylum applications this year
The Netherlands recorded a significant decrease in the number of asylum applications this year, according to the Dutch Statistics Agency (CBS). Asylum applications fell by 33 percent during the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, with 16,600 new asylum applications recorded between January and September, according to figures released by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) for the months of July to September.
In the third quarter alone, 6,800 people applied for asylum in the Netherlands. Eritrea was the largest country of origin for applicants with 990 applications, followed by Syria with 860 applications, representing a 45% increase compared to the previous quarter. The CBS agency noted that this increase is the first since the fall of the Assad regime at the end of 2024. The next applications came from stateless persons (490) and from Turkey (425).
At the same time, the number of people arriving in the Netherlands through family reunification has reached its highest level since 2017. In the third quarter, 4,600 people arrived to join their relatives who had obtained refugee status and residence permits. During the first nine months of 2025, the number of arrivals through family reunification reached 12,100, an increase of 40% compared to last year.
CBS reported that about two-thirds of family reunification cases involve Syrian citizens, approximately 3,100 people. These figures indicate that while the number of new asylum seekers is decreasing, the number of arrivals through family reunification programs, which allow families to join recognized refugees, is increasing.
In general, the data reflects a change in the migration pattern to the Netherlands. The number of Eritreans who applied for asylum for the first time has doubled to 2,400 people, which is the same number of applications submitted by Syrians. In comparison, the number of asylum applications last year was 8,900, highlighting the continued decline in new applications against a significant increase in family migration.