Brussels – Asylum applications are falling across Europe. In October, according to Eurostat data, there were 62,010 first-time asylum applications from non-EU citizens in the EU. This represents a 28 per cent decrease compared to October 2024 (86,470) and a slight 6 per cent increase compared to September 2025 (58,495).
Italy remains one of the countries receiving the most applications: in October, there were 12,650, a few hundred fewer than in Spain. In total, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany account for 74 per cent of first-time applications. On the other hand, 1,710 unaccompanied minors submitted applications. Most (245) came from Somalia.
In October 2025, 1 710 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum for the first time in the EU, with most of them coming from Somalia (245).
Netherlands received the highest number of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors (350).
Learn more ➡️ https://t.co/mmwenMi9Zq pic.twitter.com/X1C4N0hfJg
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) 15 January 2026
English version by the Translation Service of WithubThe non-EU community that is growing the most is the Venezuelan one. In October 2025, there were 8,140 asylum seekers from Venezuela, followed by Afghans (5,920), Bangladeshis (3,400) and Syrians (2,915). This trend has already been seen in previous surveys.
However, the figures remain well below those for 2024. In October of that year, there was a peak with over 86,000 applications. Italy received more than 13,000 at the time. In general terms, looking at the graph for the last five years, it is clear that migration is no longer an emergency. The trend is downward, with the main waves concentrated in the summer and early autumn months, as was also the case this year, but with lower figures than in very complex years such as 2023.
In October 2025 62 010 first-time asylum applicants (non-EU citizens) applied for international protection in EU countries, a 6% increase compared with September 2025
There were 14 495 subsequent applicants, a fall of 10% compared with September.https://t.co/mmwenMiHOY pic.twitter.com/9bQXzeH2v8
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) 15 January 2026
The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, emphasised that alarmism on the issue is exaggerated. During a visit to Rome two days ago, he stated: “Irregular migration to the EU has decreased by 25 per cent in the first 11 months of 2025 and, in any case, we are nowhere near the situation we saw in 2015.”
