European Union member states granted international protection to 437,900 asylum seekers in 2024, representing an increase of nearly 7 percent compared to 2023, according to figures released by Eurostat, the EU’s official statistics office.
Germany, the bloc’s largest economy, received the highest number of asylum seekers, granting protection to around 150,000 individuals. France ranked second with over 65,000 cases, followed by Spain with approximately 51,000.
Greece, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium followed, jointly offering protection to 16,465 applicants.
Meanwhile, 12 EU member states provided international protection to fewer than 1,000 individuals each. Portugal and Hungary recorded the fewest cases, granting protection to just 10 and 15 people respectively.
The majority of individuals granted protection came from Syria, accounting for 32 percent of the total. Processing of Syrian asylum claims was suspended in several EU countries from December 2023. Afghan nationals made up 17 percent of those protected, followed by Venezuelans at 8 percent.
Throughout 2024, EU countries issued approximately 940,000 decisions on asylum cases. Of these, 387,635 were positive first-instance decisions, with an additional 50,000 individuals recognized after appeals or case reviews.
Among those granted status, 39 percent were awarded refugee status under international protection, while 19 percent were granted humanitarian protection.
Asylum applications in 2024 increased for the third consecutive year. However, the numbers remain significantly lower than those recorded during the 2016 refugee crisis, when nearly 700,000 individuals were granted protection within the European Union.
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