EU first-time asylum applications fell 39% in July 2026

EU countries received 34,145 first-time asylum applications from non-EU citizens in July 2026, Eurostat reported on October 23. The total was 39% lower than July 2025 and 8% lower than June 2026. These are applications recorded for July, not arrivals or decisions made in October.

There were also 5,780 subsequent applicants, down 52% from a year earlier. First-time and subsequent applications are separate measures and should not be combined without preserving that distinction.

Where applications were recorded

France recorded 9,000 first-time applications, followed by Italy with 5,140, Greece with 3,715, Spain with 3,590 and Germany with 3,075. Together, those five countries accounted for 72% of the EU total.

Eurostat also reported 1,290 first-time applications from unaccompanied minors across the EU. The release describes application volumes and does not report how many requests were approved or rejected.

© European Union,2026. Source: Eurostat, ‘Asylum applications in July 2026’. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20261023-1

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution4.0 International: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Adaptation by KROV. KROV is solely responsible for this adaptation; Eurostat is not responsible for it. In case of discrepancies, the original English text prevails.