Around 332,000 applications for international protection were lodged in EU+ countries between January and June. France, Italy, Spain and Germany accounted for roughly three quarters of all claims.
Asylum applications in the European Union are continuing to decline. During the first half of 2026, around 332,000 applications for international protection were lodged in the EU+ area, which includes EU Member States and countries of the European Economic Area. This represents a 17% decrease compared with the same period in 2025.
According to the European Union Agency for Asylum’s (EUAA) Mid-Year Review 2026, this was the lowest number recorded in a first half of the year since 2021, confirming a downward trend that began towards the end of 2024.
Several factors have contributed to the decline, including changes in the composition of the main nationalities seeking asylum, political developments in Syria and cooperation between the European Union and countries of origin and transit. The EUAA also notes that the escalation of tensions in the Middle East did not, during the period under review, result in a significant rise in asylum applications in the EU+ area.
Afghans remained among the largest groups of applicants, with around 39,000 claims, down 7% year-on-year. Venezuelans lodged approximately 33,000 applications, almost one third fewer than in 2025, with 93% of their claims registered in Spain. Bangladesh, by contrast, recorded an increase, with around 20,000 applications, up 13%.
Applications remain heavily concentrated in a small number of countries. France, Italy, Spain and Germany together received around three quarters of all asylum applications. France ranked first with 69,000 applications, around one fifth of the total, followed by Italy with 66,000. Spain and Germany each received approximately 55,000 applications. Relative to population size, Greece recorded the highest level, with roughly one asylum application for every 400 residents.
The overall first-instance recognition rate stood at 31%. At the end of June, around 770,000 cases were still pending at first instance, 8% fewer than a year earlier. When all stages of the asylum procedure are included, approximately 1.18 million cases remained pending.
The figures are also significant from a regulatory perspective, as 2026 marks the transition to the new rules introduced under the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, including accelerated procedures and mandatory border procedures in certain circumstances.
The fall in applications therefore marks a significant change compared with previous years. However, the large number of pending cases and the concentration of applications in a limited number of countries remain major challenges for the European asylum system.
