Brussels: In 2025, 669,400 first-time asylum applicants, who were non-EU citizens, sought international protection in EU countries. This marked a 27% decrease compared to 2024 when 912,400 applications were recorded.
According to Emirates News Agency, figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, revealed that Venezuelans topped the list with 89,500 first-time asylum applications, representing 13% of all applications in the EU. Afghanistan was the second most common country of origin with 63,800 applications, or 10% of the total. Syrians, who led asylum applications from 2013 to 2024, submitted 40,000 applications, accounting for 6%.
Spain was the EU country with the highest number of first-time asylum applicants in 2025, receiving 141,000 applications, which made up 21% of the total. It was followed by Italy with 126,600 applications (19%), France with 116,400 (17%), Germany with 113,200 (17%), and Greece with 55,400 (8%). Collectively, these five countries accounted for 83% of all first-time asylum applications in the EU during the year.