Asylum applicants in the EU jumped to more than 625 000 in 2014 (Eurostat)
This News Release covers main trends on asylum applications and first instance decisions on asylum applications for the complete 2014 year in the EU28+EFTA region.
Some key messages in the data:
- The number of asylum applicants in the EU jumped to more than 625 000 in 2014.
- Over a year, the number of asylum applicants registered in the European Union (EU) has increased by 191 000 (+44%)
- Syrians (122 800 applicants) represented 20 per cent of all asylum seekers in the EU-28
- Afghanis (41 300 applicants, or 7% of total applicants) and Kosovans (37 900, or 6%) the second and third top citizenships of asylum seekers in the EU
- 1 out of 3 asylum seekers in the EU applied in Germany
- In Italy (+143%) and Hungary (+126%) the number of asylum applicants more than doubled in 2014 compared with 2013
- 360 000 first instance decisions were taken in the EU in 2014, nearly half of them were positive
- Syrians were the main recipients of protection statuses in the EU in 2014
The press release can also be read in French and German through the following link:
This year the News Releases is accompanied by further publications
- An Annual Statistics Explained article, analysing more detailed annual trends on 2014 Asylum statistics.
- A Data in Focus publication on Asylum applicants and first instance decisions on asylum applications: 2014, with informative charts and graphs on both 2014 annual and 2014:Q4 quarterly statistics.