The number of asylum seekers in Europe is declining
Barbara Zandoval, Unsplash
According to the latest Eurostat statistics, in February 2025, European Union countries received 59,085 initial asylum applications from third-country nationals. This represents a decrease of 23 per cent compared to February 2024, and 12 per cent less than in January 2025. The figure is one of the lowest in recent months.
At the same time, 7,630 applications came from people who had already applied before. This segment shows a slight increase of 6% year-on-year, but still remains below the January level.
Venezuelan nationals (8,345) are the first in the number of applicants. They are followed by Afghanistan (5,610) and Syria (4,630). All three countries continue to experience severe humanitarian and political crises, making migration to the EU the only chance of safety for many citizens.
77 per cent of all initial applications came from just four countries:
- Spain - 12,805 applicants,
- Germany - 11,185,
- France - 10,725,
- Italy - 10,715.
Relative to population size, the highest application rates per 100,000 people were recorded in Greece (40.2), Spain (26.3) and Luxembourg (25.6). This shows that the strain on reception systems can be particularly high in smaller countries with high application densities.
The data on unaccompanied migrant minors is particularly alarming: in February there were 1,720 such applications.
Most are children from:
- Syria (300),
- Afghanistan (210),
- Egypt (200).
Germany (575), Spain (330) and Greece (245) have the highest number of such applications. These children are particularly vulnerable and their reception requires a comprehensive approach and additional resources from EU countries.
