Turks were the third largest group seeking asylum in France in 2023, the TR724 news website reported, citing statistics released by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra).
According to Ofpra data, Turkish citizens lodged some 8,500 applications in France throughout the year.
Turks were third after Afghans and Bangladeshis and were followed by Congolese from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guineans.
In recent years Turkish nationals have stood out in terms of the number of asylum seekers in many European countries, particularly Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
Statistics produced by national asylum authorities as well as the European Union point to a marked increase in the asylum applications filed by Turkish nationals since a failed coup in 2016, which many observers have noted as a turning point in the gradual collapse of the rule of law in the country.
In a development that confirmed the erosion of the Turkish judiciary, Turkey was ranked 117th among 142 countries in the 2023 Rule of Law Index published by the World Justice Project (WJP) in late October, dropping one place in comparison to the previous year.
An ongoing economic crisis caused by skyrocketing inflation and the constant depreciation of the Turkish lira is also prompting some Turks to seek ways to leave the country for a better life in Europe.
Moreover, yet another victory by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose party has been ruling Turkey since 2002, in the May presidential election led to disappointment among his opponents, prompting many of them to reconsider living in the country.
