EU+ countries received around 332,000 asylum applications in the first half of 2026, 17 percent fewer than in the same period last year, according to an EU report.
BRUSSELS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 10th Sep, 2026) European countries received 332,000 applications for international protection in the first half of 2026, 17 percent fewer than in the same period of 2025.
This was the lowest number recorded in the first half of any year since 2021.
The figures were released in the latest report by the European Union Agency for Asylum, titled “Review of the Latest Trends in Asylum at Mid-Year 2026.” The report said EU+ countries received around 332,000 asylum applications in the first half of the year, representing a 17 percent decline compared with the same period last year.
According to the report, the latest decline is part of a trend that has continued since late 2024.
It reflects changes in the composition of applicants’ nationalities, partly due to fragile but ongoing political changes in Syria, as well as the European Union’s efforts to cooperate with countries of origin and transit.
Importantly, asylum applications in the EU+ did not increase despite escalating tensions and fighting in the middle East.
The report said Afghan nationals filed 39,000 applications in the first half of the year, a 7 percent year-on-year decrease.
A significant increase had previously been recorded in these applications in late 2025, mainly due to repeated applications submitted by Afghan women already present in the EU+.
Applications from Venezuelan nationals stood at 33,000, down by around one-third from the previous year.
Of these, 93 percent were filed in Spain. Around 2,000 Bangladeshi nationals also remained among the citizens of the leading applicant countries, with applications from them increasing by 13 percent compared with last year.
France received the highest number of applications, at 69,000, accounting for one-fifth of the total.
It was followed by Italy with 66,000, and Spain and Germany with 55,000 each. Overall, these four countries received nearly three-quarters of all asylum applications.
In per-capita terms, Greece ranked first with 23,000 applications, receiving around one application for every 400 residents.
According to the report, fewer than one-third of decisions at the initial stage resulted in protection being granted.
The recognition rate in the EU+ stood at 31 percent in the first half of 2026, meaning that less than one-third of initial decisions resulted in international protection.
