Over the last two years, EU+ countries (EU Member States plus Norway and Switzerland) experienced increased asylum applications with notable surges in the autumns of 2022 and 2023. This trend peaked in October 2023 when 123,000 applications were lodged, a level reminiscent of the refugee crisis in 2015–2016. In fact, by the end of 2023, some 1.1 million applications had been lodged in the EU+ marking an 18% increase from the previous year, and the most for seven years. Since the winter of 2023–2024, there has been a slight decline in asylum applications, with the level in August 2024 showed a very slight decrease compared to recent months with 78,000 applications received in the EU+. In fact, applications in August defy the usual upward seasonal trend observed in the past couple of years. 

Additionally, in August 2024 around 4.3 million persons displaced from the Russian invasion of Ukraine were receiving temporary protection, significantly adding to the overall number of individuals in the EU+ with protection needs. For more details on forced displacement from Ukraine, read Voices in Europe, a joint report which highlights prevailing themes based on the personal testimonies of over 1,500 respondents. For more details on court cases related to the implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive, read the EUAA Analysis of Case Law. These concurrent trends – many asylum applications and displaced persons from Ukraine – are exerting strain on the EU+ asylum and reception systems. 

In August 2024, Syrians, consistently at the forefront of asylum applications in the EU+, lodged 14,000 applications representing nearly a fifth of all applications lodged in the EU+.  This number is an increase compared to previous months but is down by a significant margin compared to a year ago in August 2023 (-23%). For the last few years, Syrians have lodged applications in seasonal trends peaking each autumn. For more information, read the latest EUAA country of origin information reports on Syria, its Security situation and Country Guidance, which focusses on the key elements of qualification for international protection.  

Afghans continued to be the second largest nationality group despite a predominantly downward trend in applications over the last two years. In August 2024, Afghans lodged 6,700 applications which is a drop of -39% compared to the same period in 2023 and the fewest applications since June 2021. Read an EUAA Country Focus report on the general security and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, plus Country Guidance, which focusses on the key elements of qualification for international protection. 

In the autumn of 2023, Turkish nationals suddenly sought international protection in the EU+ in unprecedented numbers such that for a short time they ranked second among all citizenships applying for asylum. However, this Germany-centred surge was short-lived with far fewer Turks seeking protection in subsequent months. In August 2024, Turks lodged just 4,600 applications, far fewer compared to the peak, and down by a half compared to a year previously in August 2023.

Since March 2022, individuals displaced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have been eligible for temporary protection in the EU+. By the end of August 2024, approximately 4.3 million people were benefiting from this protection, which was recently extended to March 2026. The majority have settled in Germany (1.1 million) and Poland (1 million), with notably few in France (61,000). Despite their eligibility for temporary protection, over the past six months or so more Ukrainians have been applying for international protection in the EU+. In August 2024 alone, Ukrainians lodged 1,900 applications, slightly fewer than in the previous months but still more than in the past years following the initial wave of mass displacement back in March 2022. Surprisingly, this trend has mostly been taking place in France, where in August 2024 some 41% of all Ukrainian applications were lodged, followed by Poland with nearly a third (see chart). 

In recent months there has been a surge of boat arrivals in the Canary Islands leading to increased levels of deaths and shipwrecks. From January to August 2024, Frontex reported that detections of illegal border-crossings on the Western African route more than doubled compared to the same period in 2023. According to these data, Malian nationals were the most commonly detected, leading to a commensurate increase in the number of asylum applications. In August 2024, Malians lodged 1,000 applications for asylum in the EU+ which is a 52% increase compared to a year earlier but down significantly compared to the peak in April of this year. Naturally this increased asylum caseload was reported by Spain, but Malian nationals continued to also lodge applications in Italy and France.

Spain is also a focal point for a distinct asylum trend related to regular rather than irregular migration. For a while now, Venezuelans and Colombians have been seeking protection in Spain in large numbers. These Latin American nationals benefit from visa-free access to the Schengen area which means that they can arrive on flights from their home countries. In August 2024 they continued to lodge significant numbers of asylum applications in the EU+: 4,800 Venezuelan and 3,000 Colombian applications. The vast majority of these were submitted in Spain, accounting for 87% of Venezuelan and 73% of Colombian applications, with nearly all being first-time applications, possibly indicating that the applicants were newly arrived in the EU+. Applicants from Peru have also been seeking asylum in notable numbers: 1,800 in August 2024. Unlike Venezuelans and Colombians, more Peruvians are now applying in Italy (63%) rather than in Spain (33%, see chart), to such an extent that in August 2024 they were the number two citizenship lodging applications in Italy. In response to challenges linked to visa-free travel and the high numbers of unfounded asylum applications, the European Commission proposed strengthening the visa suspension mechanism in October 2023, which has been discussed by the Council of the EU and should be further discussed by the European Parliament.

Recently, Spain has also started taking steps towards regularising half a million undocumented migrants who have been living in Spain since 2021, most of whom are from Africa and Latin America. The law will not only allow them to live and work in Spain legally but also enable them to pay taxes, contribute to social security, and access healthcare, education and other public services. Read more here. Some reports suggest that this may counter looming labour shortages. 

To eliminate month-to-month fluctuations, the above chart offers a comprehensive overview of the asylum application trends of the top 20 nationalities in August 2024, over the last 12 months (yellow) in comparison to the preceding 12 months (blue). Syrians and Afghans lodged the most applications for asylum during both of these time periods. However, Syrian applications increased by 9%, whereas Afghan applications declined by -24%.

Most citizenships in the chart exhibited an upward change in their application numbers, which is to some extent a statistical artefact because nationalities with declining trends are more likely to fall out of the top 20, while those with increasing trends tend to rise into the ranking. Nevertheless, it is notable that Malians and Ukrainians both lodged many more applications in the 12 months leading up to August 2024 (169% and 58%, respectively).

In contrast, Georgians and Pakistanis lodged applications that fell by significant margins between the two reporting periods (-42% and -26% respectively).

In August 2024, Germany remained the top destination for asylum seekers in the EU+, receiving 20,000 applications or 26% of the total. The next three EU+ countries each received similar numbers of applications: France with nearly 12,000 (15% of the total), Spain with nearly 11,000 (14%) and Italy with just over 10,000 applications (13%). 

Despite Germany's historical lead receiving the most asylum applications, it has experienced a decline in compared to a year ago, whereas other counties have received increasing numbers of applications such as Ireland where applications in August 2024 increased by 46% compared to a year previously, and Poland where applications have increased by 61% albeit from a smaller base. Worth noting is also that in August applications in France dropped to the lowest level in more than two years and those in Spain and Italy to the lowest level in over a year.

Other differences between the main receiving countries include the nature of the caseloads. For example, there is a remarkable lack of overlap between the citizenships who tend to apply in some of the main receiving countries: in Germany half of all applications were lodged by Syrians and Afghans; in France the top three citizenships were Afghans, Congolese (DR) and Haitians; in Spain 60% were lodged by Venezuelans and Colombians; and in Italy a third of all applications were lodged by Bangladeshis and Peruvians. 

Adding to localised patterns, certain citizenships tend to lodge the vast majority of their asylum applications in a single EU+ country. In August 2024, most Venezuelans (87%), Colombians (73%) and Malians (63%) lodged their applications in Spain, while most Bangladeshis (74%), and Peruvians (63%) submitted their applications in Italy, and most from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (71%) in France.

Evaluating which EU+ countries tend to receive the most applications for asylum is important but to some extent a simple like-for-like comparison is not appropriate because the EU+ countries vary wildly in terms of the size and capacity of their asylum and reception systems. As a rough measure of their overall capacity and a more nuanced estimation of the pressure exerted on national authorities, this chart illustrates the number of asylum applications lodged per million inhabitants (Eurostat population data). 

In August 2024, Greece, with a population size of around 10.4 million received around 6,800 asylum applications. This amounts to a rate of 652 applications per million population or 1 application for every 1,500 inhabitants. Germany may have received many more applications for asylum (20,000) but, given its larger population of 84 million, the German rate was lower, at 237 applications per million inhabitants or 1 application per 4,200 inhabitants. Cyprus and Belgium, while receiving very different numbers of applications per se (270 and 3,300, respectively) actually received very similar numbers per capita, at just over 280 applications per million population.

Taking the whole EU+ into consideration: its population of 463 million and 78,000 asylum applications received in August 2024 converts into 168 applications per million population or about 1 application for every 6,000 persons. 

In addition to asylum applications, at the end of August 2024, there were also 4.3 million persons benefiting from temporary protection in the EU+. This protection is based on a 2001 Directive which was triggered for the first time in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 with the aim of offering quick and effective assistance to people displaced to the EU+. At the end of May 2024, half of all beneficiaries of temporary protection were either in Germany (1.1 million) or Poland (1 million). For context and to allow comparisons with the inflow of asylum applications, the chart above can also be used to illustrate the number of beneficiaries of temporary protection per capita being hosted in each EU+ country. In Czechia, there were about 35,000 beneficiaries per million inhabitants, which amounts to 1 beneficiary for every 29 inhabitants, followed by Lithuania and Poland (at approximately 27,000 – 28,000 beneficiaries per million or 1 beneficiary for every 36 – 38 inhabitants). 

Recently the Council of the EU extended temporary protection for people fleeing Russia's aggression against Ukraine for another year, from 5 March 2025 to 4 March 2026. Read more here.