More than 54,800 non-EU citizens applied for asylum in the EU for the first time in November 2025, down 26% from a year earlier.
A total of 54,825 first-time applicants sought “international protection” — the EU term for asylum or similar protection — compared with 74,495 in November 2024, and 62,375 in October 2025, Eurostat reported on Tuesday.
There were also 11,455 subsequent applicants, meaning people who applied again after a previous application, up from 7,090 a year earlier but down from 14,900 the month before.
Venezuelans were the largest group of first-time applicants in November, with 8,060 people, followed by Afghans (5,125), Bangladeshis (3,585) and Syrians (2,365).
Italy and Spain recorded the highest numbers
Italy received 12,195 first-time asylum applicants and Spain 11,875, followed by France (8,845) and Germany (8,740), together accounting for 76% of all first-time applicants in the EU.
Across the EU, there were 12.2 first-time applicants per 100,000 people in November 2025, with the highest rates recorded in Greece (42.4 per 100,000), ahead of Spain (24.2) and Italy (20.7).
A total of 1,370 unaccompanied minors — children applying without a parent or guardian — applied for asylum for the first time in the EU in November 2025.
The highest numbers of unaccompanied minors came from Somalia (245), Eritrea (160), Afghanistan and Venezuela (135 each) and Egypt (130).
The Netherlands received 375 applications from unaccompanied minors, followed by Germany (265), Greece (185), Spain (155) and Belgium (95).
