Italy Rejected 2,220 Nigerian Asylum Seekers

The figure comes from the Asylum Information Database, known as AIDA, which is run by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles and written by the Italian legal group ASGI. According to Italy statistics page, Italy issued 3,390 first-instance decisions on Nigerian applicants in 2025, and 2,220 of them were rejections.

The Numbers in Full

• Applicants: 3,385 Nigerians applied in 2025, which put Nigeria 10th among applicant nationalities.

• Decisions: 3,390 first-instance decisions.

• Rejections: 2,220, or 64.9%, and AIDA says this includes inadmissibility decisions.

• Refugee status: 660 people, about 19.5%.

• Subsidiary protection: 55 people.

• Special protection: 460 people.

• Total granted some form of protection: 1,175, or about 34.7%.

• Still waiting: 4,120 Nigerian applications were pending at the end of 2025.

So, roughly one in three Nigerians who received a decision was granted some protection. 

How Nigerians Compare With Other Nationalities

This is where the story changes. AIDA’s table shows much higher rejection rates for several other groups in 2025: Morocco (90.2%), Bangladesh (88.7%), Tunisia (85.4%), Egypt (83.3%) and Peru (78.8%). Pakistan was at 67.5%. In each case, the rate was higher than the 64.9% for Nigerians.

Meanwhile, Italy’s overall first-instance protection rate was 30% in 2025, down from 35% in 2024 and 47% in 2022, according to the AIDA overview. Nigeria’s 34.7% was above that average. Nigeria’s refugee recognition rate was the highest among the top ten nationalities.

Is This a Trend?

Not a new one. ISMU, an Italian research foundation, reported that in 2024 about 16% of Nigerian applicants in Italy were granted refugee status, and that women made up more than two-thirds of Nigerians granted it.

However, the wider direction is toward fewer approvals. Italy’s protection rate has fallen for three years, and AIDA notes court rulings on safe-country designations and on the detention of people sent to Albania. So, the system is changing, and outcomes can shift.

What the Three Types of Protection Mean

The 1,175 approvals are not all the same. Refugee status and subsidiary protection holders receive five-year residence permits in Italy, while special protection holders receive two-year permits, according to AIDA’s overview. Special protection was 460 of the Nigerian approvals, so more than a third of them came with the shorter permit.

That detail matters. A shorter permit means more renewals and more uncertainty, even though it is still legal protection.

The Wider Italian Picture

Nigerians are a small part of a much larger system. Italy received 126,635 first-time applications in 2025, down from 151,120 in 2024, and issued 104,560 first-instance decisions. It also says 234,165 applications were still pending in December 2025.

So, when you read a single number such as 2,220, it helps to remember the scale. Italy’s largest applicant groups in 2025 were Bangladesh, Peru, Egypt, Pakistan and Morocco, with Nigeria in tenth place.

What a “Rejection” Does and Does Not Mean

These are first-instance decisions, the first official answer on a claim. A first-instance rejection is not always the end, because applicants can appeal. AIDA records 16,335 “final decisions” in 2025, with 82.4% positive, but it does not break that down by nationality or explain how it relates to first-instance rejections.

Also, a claim is judged on one person’s circumstances, not on nationality alone. Moreover, these numbers show decisions, not why people applied, so please avoid drawing conclusions about individual cases.

If You or Someone You Know Is Considering Moving

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Quick FAQs

1. Did Italy really reject 2,220 Nigerians?

Yes. AIDA records 2,220 first-instance rejections of Nigerian applicants in 2025, out of 3,390 decisions.

2. Is this new?

No. The numbers are for 2025, even though the story was published this week.

3. How many Nigerians were granted protection?

1,175, or about 34.7% of decisions, in 2025.

4. Can a rejected applicant appeal?

Generally yes, since first-instance decisions are not always final. Please ask an immigration lawyer about a specific case.