Brussels: First-time asylum applications in the EU fell to 42,525 in May 2026, marking a 22 percent decrease from the previous year and a 2 percent decline from April. The total includes non-EU citizens applying for international protection, a term used for individuals seeking asylum or similar protection, as reported by the EU statistics office in a recent statement.
According to Emirates News Agency, a further 8,050 people were recorded as subsequent applicants, indicating they had applied previously. This figure remained virtually unchanged from May 2025 but showed a 12 percent reduction compared to April 2026. Venezuelans constituted the largest group of first-time applicants in May, with 4,465 individuals, followed by Afghans (3,425), Bangladeshis (2,860), and Sudanese (1,690).
Italy reported the highest number of first-time applicants, totaling 10,660, followed by Spain (7,945), France (7,180), and Germany (5,965). These four nations collectively accounted for approximately three-quarters of the EU total. The EU registered 9.4 first-time asylum applicants per 100,000 people in May 2026. Greece, however, recorded the highest rate at 34.8 per 100,000, surpassing Italy (18.1) and Ireland (17.8), based on national population data as of January 1, 2026.
The EU also documented 945 first-time asylum applications from unaccompanied minors in May 2026, referring to children applying without a parent or guardian. The largest numbers of these minors originated from Somalia (205), Sudan (110), Afghanistan (95), Egypt (85), and Venezuela (40). Germany received the most asylum applications from unaccompanied minors, tallying 220, followed by the Netherlands (195), Greece (135), France (80), and Spain (75).