Newsletter Newsletters Events Events Podcasts Videos Africanews
Loader
Advertisement

Which EU countries are receiving the most asylum applications?

Europe in Motion
Europe in Motion Copyright  Euronews
Copyright Euronews
By Alessio Dell'Anna & Mert Can Yilmaz
Published on Updated
Share this article Comments
Share this article Close Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below: Copy to clipboard Copied

First-time asylum applications in the EU dropped to fewer than a million last year.

ADVERTISEMENT

The number of first-time asylum applications in EU countries in 2024 totalled 912,000, down 13% compared to the previous year.

Syrians were the largest group seeking protection, accounting for 148,000 of first-time applications, or 16% of the EU's total.

They were followed by Venezuelans, with nearly 73,000 applications and Afghans with just over 72,000.

Hungary received fewer applications than Liechtenstein

Asylum requests also included 36,000 unaccompanied minors, most of them from Syria (32%), Afghanistan (16%) and Egypt (8%).

A quarter of all applications were submitted in Germany, while the second-highest rate was in Spain (18%), followed by Italy (17%), France (14%) and Greece (8%).

The dataset also shows extra-EU countries, such as Switzerland, Iceland and Norway.

Hungary was the country that received the lowest number of applications overall - 25.

Cyprus bears greatest migration pressure

Cyprus, however, faced the highest pressure with 7.2 first-time applicants per 1,000 people, while the EU average is two.

The country undertook a major sea rescue operation last month when a migrant boat carrying at least 20 people capsized 45 kilometres off the coast of the Mediterranean island, leaving only two survivors.

The rescue effort took place amid rising irregular border crossings in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the EU's border protection agency Frontex.

In terms of applications per thousand people, Greece follows Cyprus with 6.6, trailed by Ireland and Spain (3.4 each) and Luxembourg (3.2).

Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz

Go to accessibility shortcuts
Share this article Comments

Read more

Ilegal migrant crossings: Which is becoming the most difficult route to Europe?

Italy approves new decree to use Albania migration centres as repatriation hubs

Watch the video: Who's winning the green energy race in the EU?