DRC–Belgium: Sharp Increase in Asylum Applications from Congolese Nationals Between 2023 and 2025
Asylum applications submitted by Congolese nationals in Belgium have significantly increased over the past two years. According to figures released by the Belgian minister’s office, around 1,250 Congolese applied for asylum in 2023, a number that rose to nearly 2,500 in 2025.
Data from the Commissariat général aux réfugiés et aux apatrides (CGRA) confirms that 2,422 asylum requests from citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo were recorded in 2025. This rise places the DRC in fourth position among the nationalities with the highest number of asylum seekers in Belgium.
Eritrea ranks third in the same classification, ahead of several other countries with high migration flows toward Europe.
This notable increase in Congolese asylum applications reflects ongoing concerns over security, economic hardship, and social instability in the DRC, particularly in the conflict-affected eastern provinces.
Belgium, the former colonial power of the DRC, remains a preferred destination for many Congolese seeking international protection, stability, and better living conditions.
The trend is reigniting debate over Belgian migration policy, asylum system capacity, and the root causes driving migration from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
