8 Unaccompanied children applying for international protection in 2020 in absolute and relative numbers

The overall number of unaccompanied children applying for international protection in EU Member States is distributed unequally among them. Figure 8 shows the total and relative numbers of unaccompanied children applying for international protection in the various Member States in 2020. Greece topped the ranking of EU Member States as regards the absolute number of unaccompanied children applying for international protection in 2020, with 2 800 applicants, followed by Germany (2 200), Austria (1 400) and Belgium (1 200). These four Member States together hosted more than half the total number of unaccompanied children applying for international protection in the EU as a whole. However, the order of this ranking looks different when the numbers are expressed relative to each Member State’s population. In 2020, Slovenia, followed by Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Bulgaria and Belgium, topped the ranking of Member States hosting the most unaccompanied children applying for international protection per million inhabitants.