Asylum applications in EU fall 23% in 1st half of 2025

BRUSSELS

The number of asylum applications lodged in EU+ countries fell by 23% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year, the European Union Agency for Asylum announced Monday.

EU+, which refers to the 27 EU member states plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, received 399,000 asylum applications in the first half of 2025, according to the agency’s Mid-Year Review of Latest Asylum Trends.

The sharp decline was driven mainly by a two-thirds drop in Syrian applications to 25,000. For the first time in over a decade, Syrians were no longer the largest nationality group applying for asylum in Europe.

Following the fall of the Bashar Assad regime last December, Venezuelans overtook Syrians, lodging 49,000 applications, a 31% increase year-on-year.

Other notable groups included Afghans, the second-largest nationality with 42,000 applications, as well as Ukrainians (16,000), whose numbers increased by 29%.

The shift also altered the distribution of applications across member states. France (78,000) and Spain (77,000) both received more applications than Germany (70,000), which traditionally has been the top destination.

Italy followed with 64,000 applications, while Greece registered 27,000.

Applications fell sharply in Germany (43%), Italy (25%) and Spain (13%), while remaining stable in France, the agency said.

The report also noted that around a quarter of all applications came from citizens with visa-free access to the Schengen area, particularly Venezuelans and Colombians. The European Parliament is expected to vote next month on strengthening the EU's visa suspension mechanism.