Decisions and appeals
What is the UK asylum grant rate?
38%granted at initial decision, 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2
38% of asylum claims decided in the year to June 2026 were granted at initial decision, against 48% in the year before. That is 35,484 grants and 57,563 refusals of main applicants. More are granted later on appeal.
Grant rate at initial decision, year ending June
Main applicants granted as a share of grants and refusals. Withdrawals and administrative outcomes excluded.
Exact values
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| YE Jun 2002 | 32.6% |
| YE Jun 2003 | 27% |
| YE Jun 2004 | 11.9% |
| YE Jun 2005 | 14.2% |
| YE Jun 2006 | 19.8% |
| YE Jun 2007 | 22.9% |
| YE Jun 2008 | 30.1% |
| YE Jun 2009 | 32.3% |
| YE Jun 2010 | 23.2% |
| YE Jun 2011 | 28.3% |
| YE Jun 2012 | 34.9% |
| YE Jun 2013 | 38% |
| YE Jun 2014 | 37.7% |
| YE Jun 2015 | 40.9% |
| YE Jun 2016 | 37.9% |
| YE Jun 2017 | 33.6% |
| YE Jun 2018 | 28.8% |
| YE Jun 2019 | 44.5% |
| YE Jun 2020 | 52.8% |
| YE Jun 2021 | 55.9% |
| YE Jun 2022 | 75.8% |
| YE Jun 2023 | 70.5% |
| YE Jun 2024 | 57.8% |
| YE Jun 2025 | 48.2% |
| YE Jun 2026 | 38.1% |
What the figure counts
This is the Home Office's own measure: main applicants granted protection or other leave, divided by main applicants granted or refused. Withdrawn claims and administrative outcomes are left out, and dependants are not counted, because they follow the main applicant's decision.
Different definitions give different numbers. Dividing by every decision, withdrawals included, gives a lower figure, and counting dependants changes it again. A rate quoted without its definition cannot be compared with another.
Key figures
| Grant rate, initial decision | 38.1%2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2 |
|---|---|
| Main applicants granted | 35,484 |
| Main applicants refused | 57,563 |
| A year earlier | 48.2% |
What happens if an asylum claim is refused?
Most refused claimants can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. Many do, and some of those appeals are allowed, so the final grant rate for a group of claims ends up higher than the initial one. That final rate takes years to settle, because appeals take more than a year to clear.
Why does the grant rate change so much?
Grant rates differ enormously by nationality and can move sharply when conditions in a country change. So a shift in which nationalities are being decided, or in the assessment of one large group, moves the overall rate even if nothing else changes.
Which nationalities are most likely to be granted?
It ranges from almost every claim granted for some nationalities to almost none for others, which is why a single national rate says little about any one claim. The Home Office publishes the rate for every nationality, and our league table ranks them.