In 2013 a number of asylum seekers in the EU increased for more than 30% comparing with the year before. Some 435,000 asylum applications were registered in comparison with 335,000 in 2012, showed a report issued by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
The hightest number of applicants came from Syria (50 000 asylum applicants, or 12% of the total number of applicants) in 2013. With 22,000 asylum seekers, 10 % more than in 2012, Serbia comes fourth on the list, behind Russia and Afghanistan and ahead Pakistan and Kosovo.
The highest number of applicants was registered in Germany (127,000) where citizens of Serbia top the list of asylum seekers with 18,000 applications, as much as 5,200 more than in 2012.
Some 70% of all applicants were registered in five EU member states: Germany, France, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Italy.
In 2013 in the EU28, 65% of first instance decisions made on asylum applications were rejections, while 15% of applicants were granted refugee status, 14% subsidiary protection and 5% authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons.
More info: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/3-24032014-AP/EN/3-24032014-AP-EN.PDF
