- A total of 6,704 Nigerians applied for asylum in Cyprus between 2021 and 2025
- The number of applications dropped by about 70 per cent from 2022 to 2025
- Most Nigerian asylum claims were rejected, with only a small number granted protection
A total of 6,704 Nigerians applied for asylum in Cyprus between 2021 and 2025, according to the latest Country Report released by the Asylum Information Database (AIDA).
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the report, produced by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) using figures from Cyprus’s Asylum Service and the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), shows that Nigeria remained one of the leading sources of asylum seekers to the Mediterranean country during the five-year period.
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Data contained in the report indicates that asylum applications from Nigerians declined significantly over the years, falling by about 70 per cent between 2022 and 2025.
The yearly breakdown revealed that 1,555 Nigerians sought international protection in 2021, while the number rose sharply to 3,148 in 2022. Applications later dropped to 1,019 in 2023, 554 in 2024 and 428 in 2025, the lowest figure recorded during the review period.
Despite the decline in applications, the report showed that Nigerians continued to face very low approval rates.
In 2025, authorities made 565 decisions relating to Nigerian applicants. Of these, only 270 were examined on their merits, while 546 were classified as overall rejections, including inadmissible claims, withdrawn applications and closed cares. Among those decisions, 254 were outright rejections after full assessment.
Only 11 Nigerians were granted refugee status in 2025, while five received subsidiary protection, resulting in one of the lowest recognition rates among major nationalities seeking asylum in Cyprus.
The trend was similar in previous years. In 2021, only nine Nigerians were granted refugee status out of 1,555 applicants, with no subsidiary protection granted and 498 applications rejected.
In 2022, just 11 applicants obtained refugee status from 3,148 applications, while none received subsidiary protection. A total of 670 claims were rejected.
For 2023, 43 Nigerians were recognised as refugees and two received subsidiary protection from 1,019 applications. The report also recorded a backlog of 2,816 pending applications during that year.
By 2024, Cyprus processed 995 decisions involving both new and pending applications, with only 77 refugee status approvals recorded.
Throughout the five-year period, Nigeria consistently ranked among the top countries of origin for asylum seekers in Cyprus alongside Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The report also highlighted that Nigerians accounted for a significant share of asylum appeals. In 2024, they filed 1,241 appeals, the highest of any nationality, while 411 appeals were submitted in 2025, second only to applicants from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Cyprus designated Nigeria as a “safe country of origin” in 2021, alongside Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Ghana and Senegal. The classification means asylum claims from those countries are processed under accelerated procedures and are generally presumed to be unfounded unless applicants present compelling evidence.
According to the report, this policy has contributed to the consistently high rejection rates recorded for Nigerian applicants.
The report noted that Cyprus hosts a sizeable Nigerian community made up largely of international students, workers and their dependents. A smaller number of Nigerians seek asylum after their student or work permits expire or after entering the country through irregular routes.
Under European Union and Cypriot asylum laws, refugee status is granted to individuals who can prove they face persecution based on factors such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. Subsidiary protection is reserved for those at risk of serious harm, including torture, execution or violence arising from armed conflict if returned to their home country.
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