EU May asylum applications down by 22 per cent; Italy tops the list

Brussels –In May 2026, 42,525 third-country nationals filed an initial application for international protection in a Member State of the European Union. Asylum applications fell by 22 per cent from May 2025, when there were 54,765, and by 2 per cent from April 2026, when there were 43,360 applicants. Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, released the data in its monthly update on asylum applications published today (14 August).

So-called “subsequent applications” submitted by people who had already previously applied for international protection also fell on a month-on-month basis to 8,050 in May, virtually unchanged from 8,075 in May 2025, but down by 12 per cent from April 2026, when there were 9,150. 

Venezuela remains the main country of origin for asylum seekers in the EU. In May, 4,465 Venezuelans submitted their first application for international protection, followed by Afghans (3,425), Bangladeshis (2,860) and Sudanese (1,690). Compared with April, there was a reduction in applications from Venezuela, which had seen 4,875 applications. Applications from Afghans also fell, from 3,830 to 3,425, while those from Bangladeshi nationals rose from 2,630 to 2,860.

The countries receiving the highest number of first-time asylum applications in May were Italy (10,660), Spain (7,945), France (7,180), and Germany (5,965). Overall, these four countries accounted for around three-quarters of all first-time applications lodged in the European Union, a situation similar to that seen in April. Compared with April, Italy recorded a significant increase, from 9,710 applications to 10,660 in May. In contrast, France and Germany saw a fall in applications, from 8,645 to 7,180 and from 6,140 to 5,965, respectively. Spain also recorded a decline, falling from 8,350 applications in April to 7,945 in May.

 Overall, in May there were 9.4 first-time asylum applications per 100,000 inhabitants in the EU, a slight decrease from the 9.5 recorded in April. Taking into account the population of individual Member States, as at 1 January 2026, the highest rate was recorded in Greece, with 34.8 applicants per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Italy (18.1) and Ireland (17.8). Italy, therefore, while being the country that received the highest absolute number of first-time applications, ranks second when the figure is considered in relation to its population.

 Unaccompanied minors are a particularly vulnerable group. In May, 945 minors filed their first application for international protection in the EU, a slight increase on the 930 recorded in April. Most of the unaccompanied minors arriving to seek asylum come from Somalia (205), followed by Sudan (110), Afghanistan (95), Egypt (85), and Venezuela (40). In terms of destination countries, Germany received the highest number of applications from unaccompanied minors, 220, followed by the Netherlands (195), Greece (135), France (80), and Spain (75).