The asylum-seeking trend in 2023 has shown a substantial decrease compared to the surge witnessed in 2022, which marked a massive influx of migrants, resulting in the highest number of asylum applications in the European Union and the United Kingdom since 2015.
According to recent data from the Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), the European Union registered 3,400 asylum requests in the first four months of this year, reflecting a notable 12% decrease compared to the same period last year. The number of applications has consistently dwindled month by month, with only 720 applications recorded in April, a decline from January’s 925.
Leading the list of countries receiving the most asylum applications remains France, accounting for approximately 40% of the total, closely followed by Germany with around 22%. However, it should be noted that a significant number of individuals heading to Germany are coming under work contracts, which are not accounted for in official statistics and present a challenge in measurement, unless specific residence permit figures for 2022 are published.
Both Greece and Italy continue to receive asylum applications from Albanian nationals. In May, the European Union reported 395 asylum requests from Albanian citizens within one of its member states, but the exact figures for France are yet to be disclosed, where on average, 250-300 asylum applications are typically seen from Albania during the first half of each year.
Eurostat data for 2022, encompassing 27 EU countries excluding the United Kingdom, reveals a total of 13,200 asylum applications within the European Union, marking the highest level since 2020. Compared to the previous year, asylum applications increased by 16%.
Furthermore, data from the Office for National Statistics in the United Kingdom indicates a record number of 15,925 asylum applications by Albanian nationals. Together with the United Kingdom, the overall number of asylum applications in Europe reached 30,000, marking the highest level since 2006.
As of April 2023, Eurostat reported 72,630 first-time applicants (non-EU nationals) for international protection in EU countries, signifying a 34% increase compared to April 2022 (54,350). Additionally, there were 5,310 repeated applicants, reflecting a 5% decrease from April 2022 (5,610).
Syrians continued to form the largest group seeking asylum (9,420 first-time applicants) in April 2023, followed by Afghans (7,405), Venezuelans (5,785), Colombians (4,770), and Turks (4,640).
While there was a considerable increase in first-time asylum seekers from Ukraine following Russia’s military aggression in 2022 (from 2,105 in February 2022 to 12,190 in March 2022), the numbers have gradually declined and reached 895 in April 2023, partly due to individuals temporarily fleeing Ukraine to seek protection.
In April 2023, applicants with Russian citizenship ranked 12th among all nationalities, with 1,720 first-time applications.
Germany (20,950), Spain (12,910), France (10,260), and Italy (8,175) were the countries receiving the highest number of first-time asylum seekers, accounting for nearly three-quarters (72%) of all first-time applicants within the EU.
Overall, the EU received 162 first-time asylum applicants per one million people in April 2023.
Compared to the population of each EU country (as of January 1, 2023), nine member states had a higher rate than the EU average, with Hungary having the lowest (0.4).
In April 2023, 2,625 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum for the first time in the EU, with the majority coming from Afghanistan (895) and Syria (685).
The countries within the EU that received the highest number of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors in April 2023 were Germany (1,105), followed by the Netherlands (340) and Austria (285).
