Surge in asylum applications across Europe in the first three quarters of 2023

In the first three quarters of 2023, the European Union, along with Norway and Switzerland, has seen a significant increase in asylum applications, with more than 800,000 applications filed during this period. This marks the highest number of applications since 2016, as reported by the German newspaper Welt. These figures are based on data from the EU Asylum Agency EUAA, covering the period from the beginning of the year to October 3.

The data reveals a total of 801,459 asylum applications submitted across the 29 states during this time frame. Notably, Latvia and Estonia have experienced the most substantial increases, with Latvia seeing a surge of 168%, while Estonia recorded a 119% increase. This significant rise can be attributed to the notable increase in irregular migration from Belarus.

Germany comes in third place, with a 74% increase in the number of asylum applications compared to the same period last year. Conversely, several countries have reported decreases in asylum applications during this time. Denmark saw a decline of 56%, Malta recorded a 54% decrease, Cyprus experienced a 52% reduction, and Austria reported a 41% drop.

Interestingly, Hungary has the lowest number of asylum applications so far in 2023, with just 26 applications received.

Credit: NAN