Spain Beats Germany, Tops EU, In Asylum Requests Amid Shift In Migrant Patterns

Germany is no longer the EU’s top destination for asylum seekers, as applications from Syrians plummet following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December, according to an unpublished EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA) report seen by the Financial Times.

The report says the bloc’s asylum system is undergoing a “significant shift,” with May 2025 seeing 64,000 applications — nearly 25% fewer than the same month in 2024, according to the Financial Times. The drop was driven by an “extremely abrupt” fall in Syrian claims, from about 16,000 in October 2024 to just 3,100 in May.

“Since February Germany has no longer been the top EU+ destination; Spain, Italy and France all received more applications in May 2025,” the EUAA writes.

The Financial Times writes that Germany, long a top choice for Syrians, saw overall claims in May fall to 9,900 from 18,700 a year earlier. Spain now leads with 12,800 applications, mainly from Venezuelans fleeing the “severe economic and political crisis” in their country — a trend the agency partly links to U.S. deportations.

Italy is second with 12,300 claims, driven by Bangladeshis and Peruvians. France follows with 11,900, led by applicants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, and Haiti.

The EUAA stressed the fall in Syrian claims is “likely not due to any asylum policy changes” but “rather, the shift likely reflects changing circumstances in Syria.”

Despite the decline, Germany still hosts the largest asylum seeker population, having granted asylum to 150,000 people in 2024, compared to about 50,900 in Spain, 40,000 in Italy, and 65,200 in France.