Number of new initial asylum applications in Germany jumps

GENEVA (AA): The number of first-time asylum applications in Germany is rising sharply, according to a mid-year report released by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.

The number of initial applications in the first half of 2023 increased by 77.5%, compared to the same period last month.

There were 162,271 applications from January to June, of which 150,166 were initial applications. In the first half of 2022, the number of initial applications was 84,583.

Most asylum applications came from Afghanistan (27,310, +80%), Syria (24,492, +77%) and Türkiye (19,208, +209%), according to the report.

In 2022, there were a total of 217,774 asylum applications, a high after the so-called refugee crisis in 2015 with 500,000 asylum applications.

As the report continues, 71.6% of first-time applicants in the first half of 2023 were younger than 30 years of age. Some 71.6% of all first-time applicants were male.

In Germany, cities and municipalities have been complaining for months about the additional burden of asylum seekers. Housing space is becoming increasingly scarce, and more and more municipalities are deciding to set up tent cities or container villages.

In addition, the war in Ukraine is causing a further influx of refugees in Germany. According to an evaluation by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, around 1.1 million refugees were recorded in Germany by the end of May 2023, having fled the war in Ukraine.

However, refugees and migrants from Asia, the Middle East and Africa have often reported discrimination and prejudice. Many analysts and observers have highlighted that there is a clear bias in the way European countries including Germany have facilitated fellow European refugees from Ukraine whereas those from non European Muslim states continue to face challenges.