Germany topped the list of European countries in granting asylum, providing asylum or other forms of international protection to over 150,000 individuals last year. France ranked second with more than 65,000 approvals, followed by Spain with nearly 51,000.
After these leading three, Greece, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium followed suit, with Belgium accommodating 16,465 people, according to the European statistical office. Conversely, about ten member states issued protected status to fewer than a thousand individuals, with Portugal and Hungary issuing protections to only 10 and 15 people, respectively.
Similar to previous years, the majority of those granted protected status came from Syria, comprising 32 percent of the total. Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime at the end of last year, many member states have paused processing applications from Syrian nationals. Afghans accounted for 17 percent, and Venezuelans for 8 percent of the top three originating countries.
Across the 27 member states, there were 940,000 decisions made regarding asylum applications last year. In the initial instance, 387,635 asylum seekers received positive evaluations, leading to a recognition rate of 51 percent. After subsequent appeals or reviews, this number rose by over 50,000, resulting in an overall recognition rate of 27 percent.
Among the positive outcomes, 42 percent of applicants were granted refugee status, while 39 percent received humanitarian protection and 19 percent were provided humanitarian status for various reasons.
The number of asylum requests continued to rise in 2024 for the third consecutive year. Nonetheless, the figures remain notably lower than during the 2016 refugee crisis, when approximately 700,000 individuals were granted protection in the EU.
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