Recent statistics from the European Union’s asylum agency reveal that Afghan citizens continue to be the largest group of asylum seekers in Europe.
According to this data, out of every 10 Afghan citizens applying for asylum in EU member countries, four choose Germany as their destination.
The report indicates that the number of asylum applications in Germany has decreased compared to last year, placing the country fourth among EU nations in terms of the number of asylum requests, alongside Norway and Switzerland.
The report states that in the first six months of this year, over 51,000 asylum applications were registered in Germany, reflecting a 27% decrease compared to the same period last year.
During this time, Afghan citizens accounted for 37% of all asylum applications in Germany. Citizens from Turkey and Syria made up 9% of the total applications, respectively.
In the first half of this year, France, Italy, and Spain recorded the highest number of asylum applications. Hungary, Slovakia, and Lithuania had the lowest numbers of applications.
According to the EU asylum agency’s statistics, from January to the end of June 2026, a total of over 321,000 asylum applications were registered in EU countries, Norway, and Switzerland. This figure was 399,000 during the same period last year.
These statistics include both first-time and repeat applications. With 37,419 applications filed, Afghan citizens have been the largest group of asylum seekers in the EU, Norway, and Switzerland.
France is also one of the main destinations for Afghan refugees, with more than one-fifth of Afghan applicants registering their asylum requests in this country.
