Asylum applications fell by 19 per cent year-on-year in March, while the number of successful applications rose

Brussels – In March 2026, 47,100 third-country nationals submitted an initial application for international protection in a European Union Member State. Although this figure is down by 19 per cent compared to a year ago (in March 2025, there were 58,025 asylum applications), the trend shows a slight 1 per cent increase on a monthly basis: in February this year, 46,420 applications were submitted. These and other figures on migration flows to the EU have been revealed by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, in a report published today (16 June).

March also saw an increase in so-called second-round applications, submitted by those whose previous applications had been rejected: there were 10,075, 28 per cent more than the 7,855 in March 2025 and 11 per cent more than the 9,080 in February 2026.

As for the nationality of asylum seekers, in line with a well-established trend, Venezuela is the most represented country. With 6,880 applications submitted in March, citizens of this South American country accounted for 14 per cent of the total applications. The rest of the virtual podium is made up of Afghanistan (4,180 applications) and Bangladesh (3,195), followed by Syria in fourth place (1,690).

A separate category is that of unaccompanied minors. A total of 1,035 applied for international protection within the EU in March this year. Most of them come from Somalia (260), Venezuela (165), Afghanistan (130), Sudan (65), and Syria (50).

Looking at the issue from the opposite perspective—that of the countries receiving asylum applications—Eurostat’s data covers the entire first quarter of 2026. The competent authorities examined 205,945 new applications during this period, an increase over the same quarter of 2025 (198,560 applications processed, +4 per cent). However, the processing rate was lower than in the immediately preceding quarter, the last of last year: in that quarter, 230,035 applications were examined, meaning the decline was 10 per cent.

Regarding the outcomes of these decisions, 84,924 applications were approved, accounting for 41 per cent of the total. This figure is up by 28 per cent compared to the January–March 2025 period (66,575 applications approved), but down by 18 per cent compared to the last quarter of last year (103,580 applications accepted). The top three countries with the highest number of beneficiaries are Afghanistan (24,960 approved applications), Venezuela (10,435), and Syria (6,505).

The vast majority of asylum seekers who were deemed eligible for protection by the EU were granted refugee status (53 per cent of the total). This is followed by subsidiary protection (24 per cent), and humanitarian protection (23 per cent).

Finally, Eurostat figures provide an overview of the EU Member States dealing with the highest number of asylum applications. In absolute terms, the country most affected by this phenomenon in March was Italy, with 10,900 new applications for international protection. Spain also exceeded 10,000 (10,840 applications), followed by France (8,895) and Germany (6,980). The four most populous EU countries accounted for 80 per cent of all applications submitted in March.

The ranking, however, changes if we use the criterion that most accurately reflects which countries are under the greatest pressure: a comparison with the total population of each country. From this perspective, the country with the highest number of asylum seekers relative to its population was Greece, with 23.2 applications for international protection per 100,000 inhabitants. In second place is Spain with 22.1 applications, while third place is taken by Cyprus with 19 applications per 100,000 inhabitants.

Finally, the “top 3” countries with the highest number of successful applications. Leading the ranking is Germany with 27,860 approved applications, followed by Spain (16,820) and France (15,210). In this case, however, Italy lags behind the “club” of major EU powers, with just 9,055 asylum applications accepted in March.