Most Common Nationalities Seeking Asylum in Armenia Over the Past Year

According to recent publications from the Statistical Committee, the distribution of individuals applying for asylum in the Republic of Armenia, categorized by gender, age groups, and nationality, between January and June 2023 is as follows: the highest number of asylum seekers from Armenia are citizens of Iraq, with a total of 131 individuals this year. Ukrainian nationals rank second, with 115 cases in the past six months, while Iranian citizens come in third, with 40 applications.

Surprisingly, Russia is in sixth place in this list, with only 18 Russian citizens having applied for asylum in the past six months. This is somewhat unexpected, as Armenia has become a channel for financial resources for many Russians. Many of them obtain citizenship but either stay in Armenia or move to other countries using their Armenian passport, as Armenians can visit many countries without the need for a visa. This is reported by the newspaper 'Zhoghovurd.'

Asylum seekers also come from Nigeria, Israel, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Turkey, and other countries. Among the safest 117 countries in the world, Armenia ranks 25th, which may also encourage people to request asylum or become citizens of Armenia.