Asylum applications in the European Union decreased by 22 percent in May compared to the same month in 2025, with Venezuela as the main country of origin for applicants and Italy the most requested member state.
According to the European statistical office, Eurostat, in May there were 42,525 first-time asylum applicants seeking international protection in the European Union, representing a decrease of 22 percent compared to May 2025, when 54,765 applications were filed, and a 2 percent drop compared to April 2026, which recorded 43,360.
There were also 8,050 subsequent applicants registered, a figure almost identical to the 8,075 recorded in May 2025, but 12 percent lower than the 9,150 registered in April 2026.
In May, Venezuelans constituted the largest group of people applying for asylum in the EU, with 4,465 applications, followed by Afghans with 3,425, Bangladeshis with 2,860, and Sudanese with 1,690, an order identical to the one observed in April.
Read more about this topic: Ceuta wants to transfer 1,100 unaccompanied migrant minors to mainland Spain. Four regions are already refusing
Among the member states that received the highest number of first-time asylum applications, Italy ranks first with 10,660 applications, followed by Spain with 7,945, France with 7,180, and Germany with 5,965.
In total, these four countries represent 75 percent of all asylum applications registered in the EU during May. Portugal registered only 105 applications during that month.
Eurostat also notes that in May there were 945 unaccompanied minors applying for asylum in the EU for the first time, most of whom came from Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Egypt, and Venezuela. The majority of these children applied for asylum in Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, France, and Spain.
