The number of asylum applications in Switzerland fell by nearly 10% over the first three quarters of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. From January to the end of September 2025, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) registered 18,877 asylum applications, including 2,571 in September.
Of these September applications, 2,138 were primary and 433 secondary (due to births, family reunifications, or repeat applications). Primary applications rose by 21.2% compared to August 2025 and by 3.4% compared to September 2024.
Afghanistan remained the main country of origin with 629 applications, followed by Eritrea (449), Turkey (226), Algeria (199), and Somalia (184). During the first nine months of 2025, 18,877 applications were recorded, down from 20,962 during the same period last year.
In September, the SEM processed 2,707 asylum cases, granting asylum in 592 instances. A total of 1,047 people without a legal right to stay left Switzerland: 738 voluntarily and 309 under police escort to their country of origin, a Dublin state, or a third country.
Asylum applications typically rise at the end of summer and in autumn before declining in winter. For the whole of 2025, the SEM expects around 25,000 (+/–3,000) new asylum applications, with a 60–70% probability, a figure lower than last year’s 27,740 applications.