(Adnkronos) – In January 2026, 51,160 non-EU citizens submitted their first application for international protection in an EU country. This is according to the latest data released by Eurostat, which shows a 23% decrease compared to January 2025 (66,745) and a 7% increase compared to December 2025 (47,650). There were also 9,500 subsequent applicants, representing a 9% increase compared to January 2025 (8,710) and a 3% increase compared to December 2025 (9,240).
Venezuelans were the largest group of asylum seekers, with 7,300 first-time applicants, followed by Afghans (4,790), Bangladeshis (2,940), and Egyptians (2,280). Spain (10,860), Italy (10,660), France (9,290), and Germany (7,645) received the highest number of first applications, accounting for 75% of the total. The rate of first applications per hundred thousand EU inhabitants was 11.4 for the entire EU, with the highest rates recorded in Greece (46.7), Spain (22.1), and Ireland (20.1).
In January, a total of 1,220 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum for the first time in the EU. The highest number of unaccompanied minors came from Egypt (270), Somalia (175), Venezuela (155), Afghanistan (140), and Sudan (70). The EU countries that received the most asylum applications from unaccompanied minors were Greece (375), Germany (200), Spain (170), Netherlands (135), and France (110).
