EU asylum applications fall to five-year low in first half of 2026

The EU, Switzerland and Norway received 332,000 asylum applications during the first six months of the year. This is 17 percent fewer than the year before.

“This is the lowest number recorded in the first half of 2021,” the EUAA said.

The decrease is attributed to political developments in Syria, which have led to significantly fewer applications from the country's citizens, as well as EU efforts to cooperate with countries of origin and transit.

The largest group of applicants came from Afghanistan, with a total of 39,000 applications.

Less than a third of the applications processed during the first half of the year were approved.