At least 3,385 Nigerians applied for asylum in Italy in 2025, with 1,175 receiving some form of protection, according to a new report.
The report, published in the Asylum Information Database 2025 Country Report on Italy, showed that 660 Nigerians were granted full refugee status, while 55 received subsidiary protection and 460 obtained special protection.
The figures represent an overall protection rate of 34.66 per cent, above Italy’s national average of 30 per cent.
Nigeria was also the only sub-Saharan African country among Italy’s top 10 nationalities of asylum seekers.
However, 2,220 Nigerian asylum applicants were rejected at first instance, according to the report compiled by the Association for Legal Studies on Immigration, in collaboration with the European Council on Refugees and Exiles.
