Brussels, 20/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - According to new Eurostat statistics published on Friday 20 March, the number of asylum applicants in the EU increased again in 2014 by jumping to 626,000.
Over a year, the number of asylum applicants registered in the European Union (EU) has increased by 191,000 (+44%). The number of Syrians rose by 72,000, to almost 123,000 in 2014.
1 out of 3 asylum seekers in the EU applied in Germany (202,700 applicants), followed by Sweden (81,200, or 13%), Italy (64,600, or 10%), France (62,800, or 10%) and Hungary (42,800, or 7%). Eurostat notes that these five member states registered different trends last year, particularly in Italy where the number of asylum applicants in 2014 “more than doubled” compared with 2013 in Italy (+143%). Numbers in Hungary increased by +126% and “increased significantly” in Germany (+60%) and Sweden (+50%). According to Eurostat numbers decreased by 5% in France.
Compared with the population of each member state, the highest rates of registered applicants were recorded in Sweden (8.4 applicants per thousand inhabitants), well ahead of Hungary (4.3), Austria (3.3), Malta (3.2), Denmark (2.6) and Germany (2.5).
Syria continued to be the main country of citizenship of asylum applicants with over 70,000 Syrians applying for asylum in Germany and Sweden. Syrians represented also the main citizenship of asylum seekers in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania and Slovenia. Afghanistan (41,300 asylum applicants, or 7% of the total number of applicants) became the second country of citizenship of asylum seekers in the EU in 2014. Of the 41,300 Afghans seeking asylum protection in the EU in 2014, 9,700 were registered in Germany and 8,800 in Hungary. Kosovo completed the top 3 citizenships of asylum seekers in the EU. Eurostat explained that more than half applied for asylum in Hungary (21,500). (Solenn Paulic)