The number of Afghan asylum seekers in the European Union fell by 18 percent in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to a report from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). Despite the decline, Afghan nationals remain the second largest group of asylum seekers in the EU.
“Afghans (45,000), while still the second largest nationality group, lodged a fifth fewer applications (-18%),” the report stated.
Meanwhile, applications from Syrians, who remain the largest nationality group, increased by 7 percent during the same period, with 71,000 applications filed.
The report also highlighted that the recognition rate for Afghan asylum seekers across EU+ countries stood at around 65 percent, though recognition rates varied widely across member states.
According to findings from The New Humanitarian published in June 2023, approximately 270,000 particularly vulnerable Afghan refugees are currently in need of resettlement from countries like Iran and Pakistan.
The EUAA had previously reported that from August 2021 to February 2022, following the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, Afghans were the top nationality seeking asylum in the EU, with a peak of more than 18,000 applications in September 2021.
