Most of the asylum seekers in Europe hailed from Syria, with over 1.1 million applications recorded in 2023, marking a significant surge compared to the previous year, according to a report by Exxpress News.

According to the annual report published by the European Union asylum agency, based in Valletta on Wednesday, a total of 1.14 million applications were registered across the 27 EU member states, as well as Norway and Switzerland. This figure represents an 18 percent increase from the previous year. The majority of applicants originated from war-torn Syria, followed by Afghanistan.

Towards the end of the year, amidst the onset of the attacks on innocent Israelis in October, there was a notable rise in Palestinians seeking refuge in Europe. Among the European countries, Germany emerged as the most sought-after destination, with approximately 334,000 new applications registered between January and December 2023.

It’s worth noting that Ukrainians were not included in these statistics. Despite the total number of applications remaining just under the million mark at 996,000 in the previous year, there were significantly more registrations in 2015 (1.4 million) and 2016 (1.3 million). Additionally, it’s important to highlight that more than 4.4 million people from Ukraine sought refuge in the EU and received temporary protection due to the Russian war of aggression.

News Link: https://rairfoundation.com/europes-invasion-1-1-million-asylum-applications-2023/