Afghan Nationals Top EU+ Asylum Applications With 39,000 Claims in Six Months

DID Press: A new report by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) shows that Afghan nationals were the largest group of asylum applicants in the EU, Norway and Switzerland, lodging around 39,000 applications in the first half of 2026.

According to the report, a total of 332,000 asylum applications were registered across the 27 EU member states, Norway and Switzerland during the first six months of 2026, a 17 percent decline compared with the same period last year.

Applications by Afghan nationals, however, fell by only 7 percent, increasing their share of total applications.France recorded the highest number of asylum applications at around 69,000, followed by Italy with 66,000 and Spain with 55,000. Germany ranked fourth with 54,000 applications but remained the main destination for Afghan applicants.

Around 51 percent of Afghan applications — nearly 20,000 cases — were lodged in Germany.Data covering the 12 months to June 2026 also show that Afghan asylum applications in Germany increased from 30,000 to 68,000.

A significant share of the increase was attributed to repeat applications by Afghan women.The recognition rate for Afghan asylum applications was reported at 73 percent, compared with around 31 percent for all applicants in Europe. The rate stood at 79 percent in Germany, 69 percent in France and Greece, and 64 percent in Switzerland.