Migrants: Eurostat reports that applications for protection in the EU fell to 37,000 in June

Brussels – In June, 37,075 applications for international protection were lodged for the first time in European Union countries by non-EU nationals. This represents a 29 per cent decrease compared with June 2025 (52,535) and a 13 per cent decrease compared with May 2026 (42,525). These figures come from Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, which explains that 5,900 subsequent applications were also recorded, a figure 32 per cent lower than in June 2025 (8,685) and 27 per cent lower than in May 2026 (8,050). 

In June, Bangladeshi nationals formed the largest group of asylum seekers, with 3,495 first-time applications, followed by applicants from Afghanistan (2,990), Sudan (2,345) and Venezuela (1,790). Italy (9,660), France (9,165), Germany (4,265), and Greece (3,955) recorded the highest number of first-time asylum applications, accounting collectively for 73 per cent of all such applications in the EU. 

In June 2026, there were 8.2 asylum seekers (first-time applicants) per 100,000 inhabitants in the EU. In relation to the population of each EU country (as at 1 January 2026), Greece recorded the highest rate of first-time asylum seekers (38.2), followed by Ireland (19.3) and Latvia (19.0). 

As regards unaccompanied minors, 1,105 lodged their first asylum application in the EU in June. Most of them came from Somalia (215), Egypt (150), Afghanistan (105), Sudan (80), and Eritrea (65). The EU countries that received the highest number of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors were Greece (260), Germany (230), the Netherlands (170), France (150), and Belgium (55). 

Eurostat figures show that, in the second quarter of 2026, EU countries issued 181,060 first-instance asylum decisions, a figure 7 per cent lower than in the same quarter of the previous year (194,880) and 14 per cent lower than in the previous quarter (209,655). Of these decisions, 41 per cent were positive (74,780). Among asylum seekers granted protection status at first instance in the EU, 49 per cent were granted refugee status, 23 per cent were granted subsidiary protection and 28 per cent were granted status on humanitarian grounds.

Germany (18,655), Spain (15,815), and France (14,135) issued the highest number of positive first-instance decisions in the second quarter of 2026. The main groups granted protection status in the EU during this period were Afghans (16,200), Venezuelans (9,940), and Syrians (7,350).