More than 51,000 non-EU citizens applied for asylum in EU countries for the first time in January 2026.
A total of 51,160 first-time applicants sought international protection — the EU term for asylum and related forms of protection — down 23% from January 2025 (66,745) but up 7% from December 2025 (47,650), Eurostat reported on Wednesday.
There were also 9,500 subsequent applicants, meaning people who applied again after a previous application, up 9% from January 2025 (8,710) and up 3% from December 2025 (9,240).
Venezuelans were the largest group of first-time applicants in January 2026, with 7,300 applications, followed by Afghans (4,790), Bangladeshis (2,940) and Egyptians (2,280).
Spain and Italy recorded the highest numbers
Spain (10,860), Italy (10,660), France (9,290) and Germany (7,645) received 75% of all first-time applicants in the EU, Eurostat said.
Across the EU, there were 11.4 first-time asylum applicants per 100,000 people in January 2026, with the highest rates recorded in Greece (46.7), followed by Spain (22.1) and Ireland (20.1).
A total of 1,220 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum for the first time in January 2026.
The highest numbers of unaccompanied minors came from Egypt (270), Somalia (175), Venezuela (155), Afghanistan (140) and Sudan (70).
Greece received the most asylum applications from unaccompanied minors (375), followed by Germany (200), Spain (170), the Netherlands (135) and France (110).
