At the beginning of 2026 Germany appears to be seeing another sharp decline in asylum first‑applications. According to Bild, which reports data from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, only 7,649 people filed a first asylum application in January 2026. In the corresponding month of the previous year, January 2025, the number was 14,920 – a drop of almost 49 % over twelve months.

A first‑time asylum application is the official request a person makes for protection in Germany when they have never previously undergone an asylum procedure here. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) says the figures confirm his political course. He told Bild that “the migration turn is also continuing into January”.