3.4. Data on applications for international protection
In 2024, applications for international protection declined by 11% compared to 2023, with just over 1 million applications received by EU+ countries for the second consecutive year (see Figure 2). The only time the figure has been over this threshold for two years in a row was in 2015 and 2016, during the peak of the refugee crisis.
Almost four-fifths of all applications in EU+ countries were received by just five countries: Germany (237,000 applications), Spain (166,000), Italy (159,000), France (159,000) and Greece (74,000). This was a slightly higher share than in 2023. However, this does not reflect the number of temporary protection decisions issued by EU+ countries in 2024 (see Box 6).
Figure 2. Number of applications for international protection in EU+ countries, 2015-2024
Source: EUAA EPS data as of 3 February 2025.
The inflow decreased or remained stable in all but five EU+ countries. For example, Poland experienced the highest relative year-on-year increase, with 17,000 applications representing an increase by four-fifths compared to 2023. This was driven mainly by an unprecedented number of applications by Ukrainians. Italy experienced the largest absolute increase, receiving approximately 30,000 more applications than in 2023.
In contrast, Romania with 2,400 applications experienced the largest relative decrease among EU+ countries, down by almost three-quarters compared to 2023. The largest absolute decrease was experienced by Germany which received approximately 97,000 fewer applications than in 2023.