A historic level.

The number of procedures to obtain the right to asylum continued to increase in France last year to reach 142,500 applicants, the highest level ever recorded, the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and stateless persons (Ofpra).

With an increase of 8.6% in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to provisional data published by the asylum agency, France is part of a dynamic of increase in requests for protection, also recorded among European neighbors.

“In 2023, nearly 142,500 requests for international protection were submitted to Ofpra, all procedures combined. Among them, there are some 123,400 first requests for asylum,” wrote the body responsible for grant refugee status.

Previous peak in 2019

In 2022, Ofpra had recorded 131,000 requests, just below the previous historic peak recorded before the health crisis, in 2019: 132,000.

“This increase (of 8%) is not specific to France, it is part of a European context and remains significantly lower than the European average, which should be between 15 and 20%,” commented to AFP Julien Boucher, the head of Ofpra.

This increase is particularly marked in Germany, which recorded some 350,000 requests in 2023, Ofpra notes.

More than 110 million people were forcibly displaced around the world by mid-2023, according to the UN, whether due to armed conflicts such as in Ukraine, natural phenomena such as droughts or floods, or even because of crises. humanitarian projects like in Afghanistan.

Also read: The number of refugees in the world reaches a record level

For the sixth consecutive year, it is Afghan nationals who are the leading asylum seekers in France, with more than 17,500 first requests submitted, according to Ofpra data.

This is followed by people from Bangladesh (8,600), Turkey (8,500), the Democratic Republic of Congo (8,000) and the Republic of Guinea (7,000).

Ofpra's protection rate, that is to say the share of requests accepted, is increasing in 2023, with 33% (+4 points compared to 2022).

With AFP

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