Fresh statistics from the United Kingdom Home Office have revealed that a total of 22,619 Nigerians applied for asylum in the UK between 2010 and 2024.
This figure places Nigeria 11th on the list of top countries with the highest number of asylum seekers, accounting for roughly one in every 30 applications within the period under review.
The data, contained in the Home Office’s latest Asylum and Resettlement year-end report, showed a sharp rise in Nigerian asylum claims in 2024, with 2,841 applications – almost double the 1,462 recorded in 2023.
According to the report, the UK received a record 108,138 asylum applications in 2024, a 378 percent increase compared to 2010. The majority came from nationals of South Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
Iran topped the list with 75,737 asylum applications, followed by Pakistan with 57,621 and Afghanistan with 54,363. Other countries with high figures include Albania (50,944), Iraq (45,711), Eritrea (37,687), Syria (34,997), Bangladesh (31,744), Sudan (30,897) and India (30,179).
Nigeria’s total figure is higher than those of Sri Lanka (22,059), Vietnam, China and Turkey. Meanwhile, countries like Brazil, Kuwait, Yemen, Colombia
