First-time asylum applicants

In recent years, protection needs have continued to rise as millions have been forced to flee their homes as a result of new and ongoing conflicts, climate conditions, violence, persecution and geopolitical unrest. In the first half of 2024, the EU+ (the 27 EU Member States plus Switzerland and Norway) received 513 000 asylum applications. According to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), this number is stable compared to the number registered for the same period in 2023, which was the highest since the peak of migrant arrivals in the 2015 to 2016 period. In 2023, more men than women sought asylum in EU countries (Figure 1). Men aged 18 to 34 accounted for 41.7 % of the total number of first-time applicants. The proportion of boys and girls under 14 years of age was the same, while there were more boys (5.1 %) than girls (1.5 %) in the 14-17 age range.