Asylum applications in the EU hit seven-year high
Al Jazeera
More than 1.1 million people applied for asylum in the bloc in 2023, just under the levels of the 2015 refugee crisis.
The European Union received the highest number of asylum applications since the 2015-16 refugee crisis in 2023.
More than 1.14 million people filed applications for international protection in the European bloc in 2023, a report by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) published on Tuesday showed. The data illustrates the growing pressure on the bloc from increased war on its doorstep and threatens to add to the traction of nationalist politics.
The 2023 figure represents an 18 percent increase compared with the previous year. It is the highest since 2015-16 when 1.3 million and then 1.19 million people sought refuge in the EU.
The number one destination last year remained Germany. Syrians continued to lodge the most applications, with Afghans still the second-largest applicant group.
Still, the report also highlighted some shifting trends.
