According to Eurostat’s 2024 report, first-time asylum in Europe fell below one million—a 13% drop from the previous year. However, this doesn’t necessarily signal easing immigration pressure, as governments like those in the Netherlands or Italy continue to manage growing numbers of rejected asylum seekers.
According to the report, Syrians made up the largest group of asylum seekers, submitting 148,000 first-time applications—representing 16% of the EU’s total. Venezuelans were the second-largest group with nearly 73,000 applications, closely followed by Afghans with just over 72,000.
Refugee heaven Germany led the pack with 25% of the applications submitted there, meaning every 4th immigrant went to Germany to seek asylum. Large states follow closely with Spain (18%) in second place, followed by Italy (17%) and France (14%).
A tribute to effective and no-nonsense immigration policy is the case of Hungary. The country experienced the fewest first-time asylum applications (25) throughout the year, even fewer than mini-state Lichtenstein (75).
Cyprus experienced the highest immigration pressure, given its geographical location. 7.2 first-time applicants were reported per 1,000 people. In contrast, the EU average was 2 applicants per 1,000 inhabitants.
