Fedasil recorded a slight decrease in arrivals of asylum seekers last year. However, the reception network remains under pressure.
Tuesday 27 January, the Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt presented, together with the asylum authorities, the annual figures for 2025 at a press conference.
The year 2025 was marked by a decrease in asylum applications in Belgium (-13% compared to 2024).
For Fedasil, these figures show a slightly positive evolution: arrivals in the reception network have decreased, departures have slightly increased and the waiting list for single men has been significantly reduced.
Pieter Spinnewijn, General Director of Fedasil: “This is encouraging, but the occupancy rate in our reception centres remains high. Every day, our teams must rack their brains to find enough places for the newcomers.”
Slight rise in departures
In 2025, 25,003 persons received a place in the Fedasil reception network. This represents a decrease of 5% compared with 2024. The composition of the arrivals also changed: there were relatively more families and single women, while the number of single men and unaccompanied foreign minors (UAM) continued to decrease.
At the same time, 26,602 persons left the reception network in 2025, representing an increase of around 400 persons compared to 2024. Despite this, the average length of stay in the reception network remains high: 449 days on average, or almost 15 months. Persons who have received a positive decision still need an average of 173 days to leave the reception centre.
The combination of a decrease in arrivals and a slight increase in departures has led to a slight reduction in reception capacity in 2025. Nevertheless, the occupancy rate remained very high, with an average of about 94%.
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