Filenews 25 May 2023
Cyprus recorded the highest proportion of new asylum seekers per million people in February 2023, with absolute numbers however recording a significant decrease compared to last year, according to monthly data released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU.
In February, the highest number of new asylum applications was recorded in Germany (25,335), Spain (12,840), France (10,520) and Italy (9,840), with applications in these countries accounting for 77% of all new applications in the EU. In Cyprus the number of new applications reached 800.
By analogy in the EU, there were 171 new applications per million people in February.
At Member State level, Cyprus is the country with the highest proportion of new applications (885 per million), along with Croatia (649). The lowest ratio was recorded in Hungary (0.2 per one million).
41% increase in applications in the EU
In February 2023, a total of 76,505 new asylum applications were registered in the EU, an increase of 41% compared to February 2022 (54,370), while a further 6,070 subsequent applications were registered (3% decrease compared to last year when 6,280 were recorded),
Cyprus recorded a significant decrease in new asylum applications, as 800 new applications were recorded in February this year compared to 1,805 applications in February last year.
As in previous months, in February 2023 Syrians were the largest group of people seeking asylum (9,885 new applicants), followed by Afghans (9,310), Colombians (5,160) and Venezuelans (5,115).
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, there has been a significant increase in new asylum applications from Ukrainians (from 2,105 in February 2022 to 12,190 in March of the same year). However, since then, the numbers have fallen every month, reaching 1,110 people in February 2023, partly due to Ukrainian refugees being able to receive temporary protection status.
In February 2023, asylum seekers with Russian citizenship were the 8th largest group (2,385 applications).
Unaccompanied minors
As regards unaccompanied minors, 2,745 new applications were registered in the EU in February, mainly from Afghanistan (1,025) and Syria (675).
The countries with the highest numbers of applications from unaccompanied minors in February were Germany (1,415), the Netherlands (240), Italy (205), Spain (195) and Austria (180).
Eurostat does not have data on subsequent applications and applications from unaccompanied minors in Cyprus, France and Poland, as a temporary derogation from the information obligation applies.
