EU Sees Lowest Asylum Applications Since 2021
Most often, citizens of Afghanistan (about 39 thousand applications), Venezuela (about 33 thousand applications), and Bangladesh (about 22 thousand applications) submitted appeals.
Consensus
- The number of asylum applications in the EU during the first half of 2026 was the lowest in five years.
- The total number of new asylum applications in the EU from January to June 2026 was approximately 332,000.
- This represents a 17% decrease compared to the same period in 2025.
- France received the highest number of asylum applications among EU countries, followed by Italy and Spain.
- Germany received fewer applications than Spain in the first half of 2026.
- The largest group of applicants were citizens of Afghanistan.
- The second-largest group were citizens of Venezuela.
- The third-largest group were citizens of Bangladesh.
- The overall decline in applications has been ongoing since 2024.
- The decline occurred despite increased tensions in the Middle East due to conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran.
Points of divergence
- Germany had held the top position in asylum applications since 2012, but lost it to France and Spain only in the first half of 2025. — meduza
- Spain received 54,732 applications, slightly more than Germany’s 54,454. — tg_dwglavnoe
- Germany’s loss of the top position is partly attributed to the reduction in applications from Syrian citizens after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. — meduza
- The decline in applications is partly due to changes in the composition of applicants and political developments in Syria. — tg_dwglavnoe
- Countries in the EU more often grant refugee status to foreigners than other forms of protection. — meduza
- The EU, Norway, and Switzerland all saw a reduction in asylum applications during the first half of 2026. — tg_dwglavnoe
Coverage (2 sources)
- EU countries received minimum number of asylum applications in five years. Most were submitted in France — Meduza
- Germany lost first place in EU for number of new asylum applications. Now France leads — DW Главное