Two countries in Europe have knocked Germany off the top spot for receiving the most asylum applications. After years of being the main country that people seek asylum in in the EU, tougher border restrictions have dramatically reduced the number. New data released by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) on Monday now shows France and Spain to be the top two countries for receiving asylum applications in the first half of this year.
France and Spain received 78,000 and 77,000 applications respectively, while Germany followed behind on 70,000. EU countries plus Norway and Switzerland received 399,000 asylum applications in the first six months of 2025, which is a 23% decrease compared to the same period last year. This is due to a significant drop in asylum applications from Syrian citizens.
Overall, there were 25,000 fewer requests for asylum lodged in the EU by the end of June 2025, compared to the first six months of 2024. This follows the fall of the Assad regime in Syria last year.
In individual countries, applications by Syrians fell in Germany, which saw a 43% decrease, Italy had a 25% decrease and there were 13% fewer in Spain.
The main country that people have sought asylum from this year is Venezuela, with the EU so far seeing over 49,000 requests. This figure has increased by a third each year.
Martin Wagner, an asylum expert at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) told Euronews that this may be due to the stricter immigration policies in the United States.
“You could say there seems to be a causal relationship: as the US has become more restrictive on migration in general, people have increasingly looked for other places to move,” he said.
The expert explained that, as Venezuelans can come to Europe without a visa and stay for 90 days, many travel and then apply for the visa.
Mr Wagner added; “Venezuelans have been coming to Europe for quite some time, but the majority actually remain within the region. This is typical in cases of large-scale displacement: most people stay nearby, though some eventually move further on.
“The reasons for moving onward vary. Often it’s due to networks of friends, family, or communities they already know in another country, which makes the transition easier.”