The European Union (EU) received more than one million new asylum requests in 2023, an increase of 20% compared to the previous year, approaching the peaks of 2015 and 2016, Eurostat announced yesterday.
According to the European statistical service, the EU has recorded an increase in asylum requests since 2021, reaching 1.049 million applicants from third countries, approaching the peaks of 2015 and 2016 (1.2 million and 1.1 million, respectively), caused by the war in Syria.
Since 2013, Syria has remained the main country of origin, having represented 183 thousand new requests for international protection ten years later (17% of the EU total).
Afghanistan (100,900, 10% of the total) is the second largest point of origin, followed by Turkey (90 thousand, 09%), Venezuela and Colombia (67,100 and 62 thousand, respectively, 06% of the total).
Germany (329 thousand, 31%) remains the country most chosen by refugees, followed by Spain (160,500, 15%), France (145,100, 14%) and Italy (130,600, 12%).
These four member states account for almost three or four (73%) of all new asylum applications.