Asylum Decisions by Nationality in US Immigration Courts
Ranking origin countries by the number of asylum cases their nationals had decided on the merits (FY2015–2025), El Salvador leads with 89,086 decisions. The 25 highest-volume nationalities below account for 89.6% of all asylum merits decisions. Each row carries that nationality's own asylum grant rate, the share of its decided cases that were granted.
Not legal advice. These are historical statistical aggregates from DOJ EOIR data, not a prediction for any individual case. Outcomes depend on facts specific to each case: consult a licensed immigration attorney or accredited representative for guidance on your situation.
25 nationalities by asylum decisions
| Country of origin | Asylum decisions | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|
| El Salvador | 89,086 | 34.3% |
| Honduras | 88,160 | 35% |
| Guatemala | 86,831 | 36.4% |
| Mexico | 72,578 | 32.2% |
| China | 48,230 | 78.4% |
| Venezuela | 35,806 | 70.2% |
| India | 30,761 | 63.1% |
| Colombia | 29,076 | 46.5% |
| Ecuador | 26,334 | 40.4% |
| Nicaragua | 25,534 | 53.4% |
| Cuba | 16,279 | 47.8% |
| Russia | 15,270 | 80.2% |
| Brazil | 14,714 | 32.1% |
| Peru | 14,374 | 42.7% |
| Haiti | 9,638 | 39.4% |
| Cameroon | 7,377 | 68.4% |
| Bangladesh | 7,174 | 64.4% |
| Nepal | 6,541 | 74.7% |
| Nigeria | 5,004 | 60.7% |
| Turkey | 4,371 | 69.4% |
| Romania | 3,852 | 64.4% |
| Eritrea | 3,582 | 66.6% |
| Ethiopia | 3,371 | 75.8% |
| Pakistan | 3,203 | 64.1% |
| Egypt | 3,026 | 74.2% |
"Asylum decisions" counts asylum (I-589) cases decided on the merits, granted or denied, for nationals of each country, FY2015–2025. The grant rate is granted ÷ (granted + denied) for that nationality.
Grant rates vary sharply by origin
Among these high-volume origins, grant rates span a wide range. The highest belong to Russia (80.2%) and China (78.4%), while the lowest are Brazil (32.1%) and Mexico (32.2%). The gap of roughly 48 percentage points reflects differences in country-conditions evidence, the forms of relief typically sought, representation rates, and case mix, not the worthiness of any individual or community.
These are descriptive summaries of past decisions, not predictions, and an aggregate rate by nationality says nothing about the merits of any single claim. Outcomes turn on the specific facts, the evidence presented, the relief sought, and whether the applicant is represented.
According to the DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review's FOIA case-data release, 725,681 asylum merits decisions across all nationalities were recorded in its most recent published extract (accessed 2026-07-28). See our methodology for how the grant rate and nationality groupings are computed from the underlying EOIR records.
Source: DOJ Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) - FOIA Case Data Asylum (I-589) merits decisions by nationality, FY2015–2025 · 2026