In the first half of 2026, European countries received 332,000 applications for international protection, a 17% decrease compared to the same period in 2025. This is the lowest number recorded in the first half of any year since 2021.

This was stated in the latest report of the European Union Agency for Asylum. The report, titled ‘2026 mid-year review’ of the latest trends in asylum seeking, said that in the first half of the year, EU Plus countries received around 332,000 asylum applications, representing a 17% decrease compared to the same period last year.

According to the report, this latest downward trend is part of an ongoing trend since late 2024. This trend reflects the changing mix of applicant nationalities (due to the fragile but ongoing political transition in Syria) as well as EU cooperation efforts with countries of origin and transit.

Importantly, there has been no increase in asylum applications in the EU Plus, despite increased tensions and fighting in the Middle East.

According to the report, 39,000 applications were submitted by Afghan nationals in the first half of the year, a year-on-year decrease of 7 percent. Earlier, late 2025 saw a significant increase in applications, largely due to repeated submissions from Afghan women already in EU Plus.

The number of applications for Venezuelan citizens stood at 33,000. They fell by almost a third compared to last year, with 93 percent of those applications submitted in Spain. 2,000 Bangladeshi nationals were also among the top countries seeking asylum, a 13 percent increase in applications compared to last year.

France received the highest number of applications (69,000), accounting for a fifth of the total. It was followed by Italy (66,000), Spain (55,000) and Germany (55,000). Together, these four countries received almost three-quarters of asylum applications.

Greece topped the list in terms of applications per capita (23,000), with about one application for every 400 residents.

According to the report, less than a third of early-stage decisions were protected. While in the first half of the year 2026, the recognition rate in EU Plus was 31 percent. This means that less than a third of early stage decisions resulted in international protection being granted.