Asylum Applications in Cyprus
How many people applied for asylum in Cyprus, and where from? In 2025, 4,610 asylum applications were lodged (first-time and repeat claims together). An application is a person lodging a claim — not a decision, a protection status, or how many people are waiting for one.
An application is a person lodging a claim that year — not a decision, not recognised refugee status, and not how many people are waiting for one. No EU-27 comparator is shown: this page covers Cyprus only.
What has changed
Applications over time, 2008-2025
Every application lodged in the calendar year, all applicant types combined. Rounded by Eurostat to the nearest 5.
Where applicants came from
Top 10 individual citizenships by applications lodged in 2025, non-zero only — most of the 206 citizenships tracked carry no published figure for Cyprus in any one year.
| Citizenship | Applications |
|---|---|
| Syria | 1,165 |
| Nigeria | 420 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 410 |
| Somalia | 310 |
| Cameroon | 285 |
| Afghanistan | 275 |
| Iran | 275 |
| Sudan | 240 |
| India | 120 |
| Iraq | 120 |
How the top 5 changed vs 2020
| Citizenship | 2020 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Syria | 1,755 | 1,165 |
| Nigeria | 370 | 420 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 390 | 410 |
| Somalia | 115 | 310 |
| Cameroon | 635 | 285 |
Source: Eurostat (Statistical Office of the European Union) — Asylum applicants by type, citizenship, age and sex — annual aggregated data.
Source: Eurostat.
* Calculated by Humanity Observatory from published figures.