EU Sees Significant Drop in Asylum Applications in 2024, Eurostat Data Shows
The European Union experienced a notable decline in asylum applications in 2024, according to new figures released by Eurostat, the EU’s official statistics agency. The total number of first-time asylum applications across EU countries dropped by 13.1% compared to the previous year, amounting to 912,415 applicants, as reported by Schengen.News.
This decrease reflects a broader trend over recent years, with fewer individuals seeking protection within EU borders. At the same time, the number of people granted temporary protection, primarily those fleeing conflict in Ukraine, also saw a decline. In 2024, 780,280 people received such protection—26.1% fewer than in 2023.
Asylum Applications Per Capita: Cyprus and Greece Top the List
While the overall number of asylum seekers declined, some countries continued to receive disproportionately high applications relative to their population sizes. Cyprus led with 7.2 asylum applicants per 1,000 inhabitants, followed by Greece with 6.6, and both Ireland and Spain with 3.4 applicants per 1,000 people.
In terms of temporary protection granted per 1,000 people, Czechia recorded the highest rate at 7.1, trailed by Slovakia (4.8) and Poland (4.5).
Top Nationalities Seeking Asylum in the EU
In 2024, Syrians remained the largest group seeking asylum in the EU, with 148,185 first-time applicants (16.2% of the total). Other major nationalities included:
- Venezuelans – 72,790 applicants (8%)
- Afghans – 72,240 (7.9%)
- Colombians – 50,320 (5.5%)
- Turkish nationals – 46,840 (5.1%)
Notably, Colombian nationals had the lowest first-instance recognition rate, with only 7% being granted protection without appeal. Other countries with low acceptance rates included Georgia, Morocco, and Egypt, all below 20%.
Conversely, applicants from Palestine, Venezuela, Mali, and Ukraine had high recognition rates, with over 50% granted protection at the first stage.
Q1 2025: Mixed Trends in Protection Requests
The downward trend in asylum applications has continued into 2025. In the first quarter of the year, only 183,809 first-time asylum seekers were recorded—a 23.5% decrease compared to Q4 2024. However, the number of people receiving temporary protection rose to 136,113, marking a 30.9% increase from the previous quarter.
Eurostat estimates that in 2024, for every 1,000 people in the EU, there were 2.0 first-time asylum applicants and 1.7 new temporary protection decisions.
Source: Schengen.News – Eurostat: EU Countries Received 13% Fewer Asylum Applicants in 2024
