More than 6,700 Nigerians sought asylum in Cyprus over five years, but the flow fell by 70%

According to the latest report from the Asylum Information Database (AIDA), at least 6,704 Nigerian citizens applied for international protection in Cyprus between 2021 and 2025. Over these five years, Nigeria consistently remained one of the main sources of asylum seekers arriving on the island. The yearly figures are as follows: 1,555 applicants in 2021, a peak of 3,148 in 2022, 1,019 in 2023, 554 in 2024 and 428 in 2025. As a result, the number of annual applications fell by 70% compared with the peak three years ago.

At the same time, the chances of obtaining official status remain extremely low. Of the 565 decisions issued by the Cypriot authorities on Nigerian cases in 2025, 546 were negative (including decisions on the merits, as well as applications deemed inadmissible, case closures or document withdrawals). Only 270 applications were examined in detail and assessed on the merits, while the number of strict and final rejections after a detailed review of the case amounted to 254.