The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OPFRA) published its annual activity report for 2025. The report addresses the civil war in Sudan, the deteriorating situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and gang violence in Haiti, all of which are causing mass population displacements.
In this complex and unstable geopolitical context, applications for international protection have fallen, while remaining at a high level:
- 145,270 applications for international protection in 2025 (decrease of 5.5% compared to 2024).
- This trend reflects contrasting realities: while initial applications fell significantly (-14.4%), subsequent applications increased significantly (+43%), especially by Haitian applicants in French Guiana and the French West Indies.
- The main countries of origin for asylum seekers were Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan.
- The number of applications of stateless person status rose by 58%, continuing the trend observed since 2022.
OFPRA reported that they have reached their highest level ever of decision-making activity in 2025:
- 156,509 decisions issued, nearly 15,000 more than in 2024 (+10.3%);
- 95,200 interviews conducted (+8.2%);
- The protection rate stood at 41%, compared with 39% in 2024;
- Afghanistan (57% protection rate), Ukraine (89%) and Haiti (89%) alone accounted for 51% of the protection granted;
- The average processing time was 163 days (5.4 months), a slight increase due to the processing of a larger number of older cases.
The full annual activity report is available in French on OFPRA’s website
Source(s)
- French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons | Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides (27 July, 2026), Demande d’asile : l'Ofpra publie son rapport d'activité 2025, à l'occasion des 75 ans de la Convention de Genève, une année marquée par une activité décisionnelle record dans un contexte géopolitique particulièrement instable [Asylum application: OFPRA has published its 2025 annual report to mark the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention, a year characterised by a record number of decisions against a backdrop of particularly unstable geopolitical conditions],