Data published today by the EU Agency of Statistics, Eurostat, revealed that a total of 91,735 first-time asylum applications have applied for international protection in European countries in August of this year.
The same source shows that such a figure represents a 19 per cent increase compared to the same month last year when 77,145 applications were recorded, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
In August 2023, the number of subsequent applicants was 5,660, marking a decrease of eight per cent compared to the August 2022 figures, where 6,165 asylum seekers were registered.
As the Eurostat explains, Syrians maintained their status as the largest group pursuing asylum in August 2023, with 18,170 first-time applicants. Following closely were Afghans, with 9,785 Turks (7,970), Venezuelans (4,805), and Colombians (4,665).
Consistently, Germany (29,110), Spain (12,075), France (11,495), and Italy (10,005) maintained their positions as the top destinations for first-time asylum seekers in August 2023, collectively representing 68 per cent of all such applicants within the EU.
In August 2023, the EU total of first-time asylum applicants was 20.5 per hundred thousand people.
According to these figures, Cyprus experienced the highest rate at 97.0 applicants per hundred thousand people, with Austria following closely at 72.4, while Hungary reported the lowest rate at 0.0. At the same time, a total of 4,465 unaccompanied minors sought asylum for the first time in the EU, mainly from Syria (1,540) and Afghanistan (1,420).
Moreover, the countries in the EU with the highest influx of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors in August 2023 were as follows:
- Germany (1,250)
- Austria (795)
- Bulgaria (735)
Previous data from Eurostat also revealed that the EU Member States experienced a notable surge in first-time asylum applications in May 2023, with a total of 80,375 individuals seeking asylum for the first time. As a result, the figure represents a substantial increase of 27 per cent compared to the statistics recorded in May 2022, which documented 63,455 first-time asylum applicants.
Further data from Eurostat pointed out that there were 5,325 repeated asylum applications during the same period. This indicates a 16 per cent decline when contrasted with the statistics from May of the previous year, which documented 6,370 applications of this nature.
In addition, the conflict in Ukraine had a marked impact on the number of first-time Ukrainian asylum seekers. The increase was notable, with 2,100 applicants in February 2022 to a peak of 12,185 in March 2022. After that, this upward trend experienced a gradual decline each month, culminating in a significantly reduced figure of 945 Ukrainian applicants per time, first for asylum in May 2023.