A 28% decrease in new applications for international protection was recorded in October 2025 compared with the same month of the previous year, according to data published on Thursday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat).
Specifically, EU member states received a total of 62,010 asylum applications from people originating from non-EU countries, compared with 86,470 in October 2024 and 58,495 in September 2025 (an increase of 6%).
In October 2025, there were 13.8 first-time asylum applicants per hundred thousand inhabitants in the EU. Compared with the population of each EU member state (as of 1 January 2025), the highest rates of applicants were recorded in Greece (58.1), followed by Cyprus (33.9) and Spain (26.3).
Countries of origin
At EU level in October 2025, Venezuelans constituted the largest group of people seeking asylum (8,140 first-time applicants), followed by Afghans (5,920), Bangladeshis (3,400) and Syrians (2,915).
At the same time, Spain, Italy, France and Germany received 74% of first-time applicants. More specifically, Spain received 12,885 applications in absolute numbers, Italy 12,650, France 11,245 and Germany 8,815.
1,710 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum
During the same period, a total of 1,710 unaccompanied minors applied for asylum for the first time in the EU. The highest numbers of unaccompanied minors came from Somalia (245), Egypt (215), Eritrea (200), Afghanistan (190) and Venezuela (180).
The EU countries that received the highest number of asylum applications from unaccompanied minors were the Netherlands (350), Greece (325), Germany (245) and Spain (215).