Italy Denies Asylum to 2,220 Nigerians in 2025

In 2025, Italy rejected 2,220 out of 3,385 Nigerian asylum applications, according to the Asylum Information Database 2025 Country Report on Italy. This report, compiled by the Association for Legal Studies on Immigration using data from Italy’s Asylum Service and the European Union Agency for Asylum, indicates that Nigeria was the only sub-Saharan African country among the top 10 nationalities of asylum seekers in Italy.

Of the 3,390 decisions made on Nigerian cases, 660 applicants were granted full refugee status, resulting in a 19.47 percent recognition rate, which is significantly higher than Italy's national average of 5.7 percent. Additionally, 55 Nigerians received subsidiary protection, while 460 were granted Italy’s national protection category, known as protezione speciale.

Overall, 1,175 Nigerians received some form of protection, translating to a protection rate of 34.66 percent, above Italy's national rate of 30 percent. As of December 31, 2025, there were 4,120 pending Nigerian cases before Italian authorities.