An unidentified Chinese national holds his expired Chinese passport (red) and a one-way travel document (blue) issued in its place by the Chinese mission in Saudi Arabia, in Medina on Oct. 2, 2019. AFP via Getty Images
Chinese nationals sought asylum abroad in near-record numbers in 2025, according to preliminary data compiled by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), extending a sharp upward trend in recent years.
An estimated 178,725 Chinese citizens applied for asylum worldwide in 2025, based on the latest UNHCR figures. The total is slightly below the record set in 2024, but could still be revised upward when UNHCR finalizes its annual data. Finalized global asylum statistics are typically published the following year after data verification and consolidation.
Safeguard Defenders, a Madrid-based non-governmental human rights organization, said on Jan. 8 the latest figures show that Chinese asylum claims remain at historically high levels, far exceeding those recorded in earlier decades. During the tenure of former Chinese leader Hu Jintao, annual asylum applications from Chinese nationals typically ranged between about 7,000 and 21,000, the organization said, citing earlier UNHCR data.
Since Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012, the cumulative number of Chinese asylum seekers worldwide has risen to approximately 1.33 million, Safeguard Defenders said. By comparison, roughly 162,000 Chinese citizens sought asylum during Hu’s decade in office.
Safeguard Defenders previously linked the sustained rise in asylum applications from China over the past decade to the Chinese communist regime’s human rights abuses. The group said that the trend is accelerating despite China’s increased exit controls on certain categories of citizens to prevent them from leaving the country.
Top Destinations
The United States continued to be the primary destination for Chinese asylum seekers in 2025, accounting for the overwhelming majority of applications. UNHCR data show that about 147,909 Chinese nationals filed asylum claims in the United States during the year.
Canada recorded a significant increase in Chinese asylum applications, with 6,435 claims in 2025, more than double the levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy also saw a notable rise, receiving 3,857 asylum applications from Chinese nationals, a sharp increase compared with pre-COVID-19 pandemic years.
Australia remained a major destination for Chinese asylum seekers, though the number of applications there declined from recent highs.
UNHCR data show that 10,436 Chinese nationals sought asylum in Australia in 2025, down from peaks recorded in the previous two years.
Elsewhere, Chinese asylum applications were spread across dozens of countries, though many nations in Asia, Africa, and parts of Eastern Europe recorded only single-digit figures, according to UNHCR data.
UNHCR is expected to release its finalized global asylum figures for 2025 sometime this year, which will determine whether the latest surge represents a new record or a continuation of the elevated levels seen since the COVID-19 pandemic.
