Number of asylum applications declines across the EU – Fewer from Syria

Brussels – In the EU, in January 2025, 66,800 people applied for asylum compared to January 2024 (87,890), which is a quarter less. However, compared to December 2024 (62,075), the number has increased by 8 percent according to Eurostat data published on Tuesday. Venezuelans have replaced Syrians as the largest group of origin; since May 2022, most first-time applicants have always come from Syria. In Austria, the applications from Syrian nationals are also declining sharply.

More people (8,080) submitted another asylum application in the EU in January, which is 23 percent more than in December 2024 (6,560) and 9 percent more than in January 2024 (7,385). In Austria, there were 1,328 first requests for international protection and 530 multiple applicants in January, according to the asylum statistics from the Ministry of the Interior. Since the change of power in Damascus and the halt of processing Syrian asylum applications, fewer and fewer Syrians are applying for asylum in Austria. Afghanistan ranks first in the application statistics.

The majority of asylum seekers come from Venezuela

There was a significant change in the statistics regarding countries of origin: In January 2025, Venezuelans made up the largest group among asylum seekers (8,325 first-time applicants), thus replacing Syrians, who had been the largest group since May 2022. Syrian nationals ranked second (7,055), ahead of Afghans (5,635).

In total, 2,145 unaccompanied minors submitted their first asylum application in the EU, most of whom came from Egypt (380), Syria (360), and Afghanistan (300). The EU country with the highest number of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors was Germany (620), followed by Greece (460) and Spain (355).

The overall EU quota of first-time applicants in January 2025 was 14.9 per 100,000 residents. In terms of population size, Greece, Luxembourg, and Spain received the most first applications in the first month of the year. The largest number of first-time applicants continued to be received by Germany (14,920), Spain (13,225), France (11,895), Italy (10,905), and Greece (5,200); these accounted for 84 percent of all first-time applicants in the EU. The remaining 22 states, including Austria, together recorded fewer first applications (10,655) than Italy alone.