During the third quarter 2015, the highest number of first time applicants was registered in Germany and Hungary (accounting for 26% each of total first time applicants in the EU Member States). Compared with the population of each Member State, the highest rate of registered first time applicants was recorded in Hungary (10 974 first time applicants per million inhabitants).

Syria remains the main country of citizenship of asylum seekers in the EU, with one out of three first time asylum seekers originating from this country. Afghanistan (with 14% of the total number of first time applicants) remains the second main country of citizenship of asylum seekers in the EU Member States, followed by Iraq (with 11% of the EU total).

Regarding the amount of pending asylum applications, more than 808 000 applications for asylum protection in the EU Member States were still under consideration by the responsible national authority at the end of September 2015.

For more detailed information and statistics, please see Eurostat’s new release.