10 April 2015
626,000 people applied for asylum in the European Union in 2014, according to the latest Eurostat report. 122,790 were Syrians, accounting for 20% of the total number of asylum applicants in the EU. They are followed by Afghans (41,300 asylum seekers), Kosovars (37,900) and Eritreans (37,000).
The number of asylum applications increased by 191,000 compared to 2013. In particular, the number of Syrians seeking protection in the EU rose by 72,000, from 50,000 in 2013 to almost 123,000 in 2014.
95% of the Syrians who received a decision in the EU on their asylum claim in 2014 were granted international protection, 63% of the Afghans, 7% of the Kosovars and 89% of the Eritrean nationals.
In 2014, most asylum seekers applied in Germany (203,000), Sweden (81,000), Italy (65,000), France (63,000) and Hungary (43,000).
This article originally appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 10 April 2015. You can subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin here.