First-time asylum applications in EU countries fell to 34,145 in July 2026, down 39% compared with the same month a year earlier.
The total was also 8% lower than in June 2026, when 37,075 first-time applications were recorded, Eurostat said in a release on Friday.
A further 5,780 people lodged repeat applications — meaning they had applied for asylum before — down 52% from July 2025 and 2% from June 2026.
Applicants from Afghanistan were the largest group among first-time asylum seekers in July, with 3,100 applications, followed by Sudan (2,605), Bangladesh (2,255) and Syria (1,420).
France tops list for first-time applications
France received the highest number of first-time applications in July, with 9,000, followed by Italy (5,140), Greece (3,715), Spain (3,590) and Germany (3,075), Eurostat said.
Those five countries accounted for 72% of all first-time asylum applications across the EU in July.
Across the EU, there were 7.6 first-time asylum applicants per 100,000 inhabitants in July, based on population figures as of 1 January 2026.
Slovenia recorded the highest rate relative to its population, at 114.7 first-time applicants per 100,000 people, followed by Greece (35.8) and Luxembourg (16.6).
Eurostat also reported 1,290 first-time asylum applications from unaccompanied minors — children applying without a parent or legal guardian — in July 2026.
Most unaccompanied minors came from Egypt (250), Afghanistan (160), Sudan (155), Somalia (145) and Eritrea (135).
Slovenia received the most first-time asylum applications from unaccompanied minors in July (265), followed by Greece (245), the Netherlands (210), France (115) and Belgium (100).
