Asylum applications in the European Union fell by 13% in 2024, marking the first decline since 2020, according to Eurostat. Despite the drop, Syrians remained the largest group of applicants, with significant numbers also coming from Venezuela and Afghanistan.
Asylum applications in the European Union saw a notable decline in 2024, dropping by 13% compared to the previous year, according to Eurostat data released Thursday.
In total, there were 912,000 first-time asylum requests from non-EU citizens across the EU’s 27 member states, a decrease from over 1 million in 2023. This marks the first decline in asylum applications since 2020.
Syrians remained the largest group of applicants, accounting for 16% of the total, continuing their trend as the top nationality seeking asylum in the EU since 2013. Venezuela and Afghanistan followed, each contributing 8% to the overall number of requests. Notably, first-time applications from Syria dropped by 19.2% in 2024, with nearly 148,000 new requests.
The majority of asylum seekers were concentrated in Germany, Spain, Italy, and France, which collectively received more than three-quarters of the total applications. Additionally, unaccompanied minors represented 3.9% of applicants, highlighting ongoing challenges in managing vulnerable groups.
Read next
21:51
Congo
A passenger boat caught fire and capsized late Tuesday on the Congo River, killing at least 50 people and leaving hundreds more missing, officials confirmed Wednesday. The tragedy occurred near the northwestern town of Mbandaka in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
17:20
China and Vietnam
The Chinese and Vietnamese navies have launched a week-long joint patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin, a move aimed at deepening maritime cooperation between the two countries.
17:00
EstLink 2
Finnish power grid operator Fingrid announced on Wednesday that repairs to the damaged EstLink 2 subsea power line, which connects Finland and Estonia, will begin in May, with the line expected to return to commercial use by July 15, 2025.
15:16
critical mineral
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the Secretary of Commerce to launch an investigation into the country’s heavy reliance on imported critical minerals.
15:05
Azerbaijan and Georgia
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment