No fewer than 6,704 Nigerians sought international protection in Cyprus between 2021 and 2025, according to a new report that highlights a steady flow of asylum applications from Nigeria to the Mediterranean island nation despite consistently high rejection rates.
The findings were contained in the latest Cyprus country report by the Asylum Information Database, compiled using statistics from Cyprus’ Asylum Service and the European Union Agency for Asylum.
Data reviewed from the report showed that Nigerian asylum applications peaked at 3,148 in 2022 before declining sharply over the following years to 428 applications in 2025, representing a drop of more than 70 per cent within the period.
According to the report, Nigerians remained among the leading nationalities seeking asylum in Cyprus throughout the five-year period, alongside applicants from Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
A breakdown of the figures revealed that 1,555 Nigerians applied for protection in 2021, while applications rose to 3,148 in 2022.
The number later dropped to 1,019 in 2023, 554 in 2024 and 428 in 2025.
The report noted that despite the volume of applications, only a small fraction of Nigerians secured protection.
“In 2025, only 11 Nigerians were granted refugee status, while five received subsidiary protection,” the report stated.
It added that out of 546 decisions recorded for Nigerians in 2025, the overwhelming majority resulted in rejections, withdrawals or closed files.
The trend was similar in previous years. In 2021, only nine Nigerians obtained refugee status, while 498 applications were rejected. In 2022, 11 Nigerians were granted refugee protection, with hundreds of applications denied.
The report further revealed that Nigerians accounted for a significant number of appeals against asylum decisions.
“The top five nationalities registering appeals included Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nepal,” the report said.
In 2024 alone, Nigerians filed 1,241 appeals, the highest among all nationalities represented in the asylum system that year.
Analysts linked the high rejection rates to Cyprus’ designation of Nigeria as a “safe country of origin” in 2021. The classification places Nigerian applicants under an accelerated asylum procedure and creates a presumption that their claims are unlikely to qualify for international protection.
The report explained that refugee status under European Union and Cypriot law is reserved for individuals facing persecution based on factors such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group.
It added that subsidiary protection may be granted to individuals facing serious threats, including torture, the death penalty or violence arising from armed conflict if returned to their home countries.
Cyprus hosts a sizeable Nigerian community made up largely of international students, workers and their dependants.
However, a number of asylum applicants are reported to have entered the asylum system after their study or work permits expired or through irregular migration routes.
Despite the sharp decline in applications since 2022, the report showed that Nigeria remains one of the most prominent countries of origin for asylum seekers in Cyprus.
