Eurostat figures show over 1.2 million first time asylum seekers registered in the EU-28 in 2015

08 Mar 2016

In 2015 1,255,600 first time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the Member States of the European Union (EU), a number more than double that of 2014 (626,065).

The top 5 citizenships of asylum seekers in EU-28 in 2015 were:

  • Syria: 362,800 (29% of overall applicants)
  • Afghanistan: 178,200 (14%)
  • Iraqi: 121,500 (10%) 
  • Kosovo[1]: 66,885 (5%)
  • Albania: 65,935 (5%)

The largest numbers of asylum seekers were recorded in:

  • Germany: 441,800 (35% of overall applicants) 
  • Hungary: 174,400 (14%)
  • Sweden: 156,100 (12%)
  • Austria: 85,500 (7%)
  • Italy: 83,200, (7%) and
  • France: 70,600 (6%).

Key figures for Ireland:

Ireland received 3,275 asylum applications in 2015 compared to 1,450 in 2014.

The main countries of citizenship of applicants in 2015 were:

  • Pakistan: 1,350 (41% of overall applicants)
  • Bangladesh: 285 (9%)
  • Albania: 215 (7%)

For more information:

See Eurostat news release (March 2016) and Eurostat Asylum quarterly report ( fourth quarter 2015).

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[1] Kosovo under UN Secretary Council Resolution 1244/99