Which EU countries are receiving the most asylum applications?

The number of first-time asylum applications in EU countries in 2024 totalled 912,000, down 13% compared to the previous year.

Syrians were the largest group seeking protection, accounting for 148,000 of first-time applications, or 16% of the EU’s total.

They were followed by Venezuelans, with nearly 73,000 applications and Afghans with just over 72,000.

Asylum requests also included 36,000 unaccompanied minors, most of them from Syria (32%), Afghanistan (16%) and Egypt (8%).

Cyprus bears greatest migration pressure

A quarter of all applications were submitted in Germany, while the second-highest rate was in Spain (18%), followed by Italy (17%), France (14%) and Greece (8%).

Cyprus, however, faced the highest pressure with 7.2 first-time applicants per 1,000 people, while the EU average is two.

The country undertook a major sea rescue operation last month when a migrant boat carrying at least 20 people capsized 45 kilometres off the coast of the Mediterranean island, leaving only two survivors.

The rescue effort took place amid rising irregular border crossings in the eastern Mediterranean, according to the EU’s border protection agency Frontex.

In terms of applications per thousand people, Greece follows Cyprus with (6.6), trailed by Ireland and Spain (3.4 each) and Luxembourg (3.2).

Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz