In 2016, 1,204,300 first time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the Member States of the European Union (EU), slightly lower than 2015 (1,257,000).
The top 5 citizenships of first time asylum seekers in EU-28 in 2016 were:
- Syria: 334,800 (28% of overall applicants)
- Afghanistan: 182,985 (15%)
- Iraq: 126,955 (11%)
- Pakistan: 47,595 (4%)
- Nigeria: 46,145 (4%)
In 2016, the largest numbers of asylum seekers were recorded in:
- Germany: 722,300 (60% of overall applicants)
- Italy: 121,200 (10%)
- France: 70,600 (6%)
- Greece: 49,900 (4%)
- Austria: 39,900 (3%) and
- United Kingdom: 38,300 (3%)
Key figures for Ireland:
Ireland received 2,235 asylum applications in 2016 compared to 3,275 in 2015.
The main countries of citizenship of applicants in 2016 were:
- Syria: 245 (11% of overall applicants)
- Pakistan: 235 (11%)
- Albania: 220 (10%)
For more information:
See Eurostat news release (March 2017) and Eurostat Asylum quarterly report (fourth quarter 2016).
