Asylum decisions Metadata

Decisions on asylum applications, by receiving authority, stage of procedure and decision

Asylum decisions

AsylumDecisions

This data series measures the number of decisions issued on individual asylum applications during the reference period through Refugee Status Determination (RSD) procedures. Decisions may include grants of refugee status, complementary forms of protection, rejections and administrative closures of cases.

Fair and efficient asylum systems are essential to assess the asylum claims of those seeking international protection against the legal criteria set out in international, regional and national law. Effective procedures and prompt decisions on refugee claims allow those recognized as refugees to find protection where they are and find better pathways towards socio-economic inclusion. Prompt decision-making also facilitates the safe, dignified and rights-based return of those found not to be in need of international protection and reduces the incentive to legalize stay through asylum procedures when international protection needs are not present.

Decisions may include grants of refugee status, complementary forms of protection, rejections and administrative closures of cases. If applications are rejected, applicants should have the right to appeal this decision by applying for a review by administrative appellate bodies or the courts (or both). Statistical information on the filing and outcomes of asylum appeals and court proceedings, especially at secondary or higher appeals, is under-reported in UNHCR’s statistics, as this type of data is often either not collected by States or not published.

International definition and standards

The collection and compilation of this data is guided by UNHCR's Statistical Quality Assurance Framework (SQAF), first published in 2025.