In February 2025, Switzerland registered 1,764 new asylum applications, representing a 28% decrease compared with February 2024.
The main countries of origin for asylum seekers were Afghanistan (471 applications), Turkey (222), and Eritrea (186). Around 100 Afghan applications were secondary requests from individuals already living in Switzerland. Algeria (172) and Morocco (105) also ranked among the top five countries of origin. The number of applications from both Afghan and Turkish nationals fell sharply compared to the same month last year.
Of the 1,764 new applications, 1,447 were primary and 317 were secondary (the latter including births, family reunifications, or repeat applications). The number of primary applications declined by nearly 16% year-on-year.
In February, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) issued 2,648 first-instance asylum decisions, about one-quarter of which were approvals. A total of 949 individuals without legal residence status left Switzerland under official supervision, 585 departed voluntarily, while 364 were forcibly removed to their country of origin, to the responsible Dublin state, or to a third country.