Asylum Applicants in 2022 Increase by 64% in EU

In 2022, 881 200 first-time asylum applicants (non-EU citizens) applied for international protection in EU countries, up by 64% compared with 2021 (537 400). After a considerable drop in 2020 (417 100), the numbers increased for two consecutive years but still have not reached the peaks registered in 2015 and 2016 (over 1 million applicants in both years) related to the war in Syria.

Syrian, Afghan, Venezuelan and Turkish – main citizenships of first-time asylum applicants

Almost half (46%) of the first-time asylum applicants in 2022 had Asian citizenship, while 22% had African citizenship, 17% had European citizenship (non-EU) and 14% had North or South American citizenship.

Syria continues to be the main country of citizenship of asylum seekers in the EU since 2013. In 2022, Syrians lodged 131 970 first-time applications (15% of the total number of first-time applications in the EU).

Afghanistan was the second main country of citizenship for the fourth consecutive year (113 495, or 13% of the EU total).

One-quarter of EU asylum applications were made in Germany

With 217 735 first-time asylum applicants registered in 2022, Germany continued to be the EU country with the highest number of applicants, accounting for one-quarter of all first-time applicants in the EU (25%). It was followed by France (137 510, or 16%) and Spain (116 135, or 13%), ahead of Austria (106 380, or 12%) and Italy (77 200, or 9%). These five EU members together accounted for three-quarters (75%) of all first-time asylum applicants in the EU.

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/DDN-20230323-2