Asylum applications to the EU dropped by almost 20 percent in 2025, the bloc's asylum agency said on Tuesday, warning however that a crisis in Iran could result in refugee movements of "unprecedented magnitude."
Turmoil in the Islamic republic risked upending a downward trend in requests for protection, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said, in a report written before the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
"With a population of approximately 90 million, even partial destabilization could generate refugee movements of an unprecedented magnitude," the EUAA said.
The European Commission said on March 2 it was "enhancing preparedness through closer monitoring" of the situation and reinforcing cooperation with relevant United Nations agencies and partner countries.
Asked for a fresh assessment as the Iran war spread across the region, the EUAA said it was "not in a position to comment on any impact the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East may have."
"The situation remains very fluid and it would be irresponsible to make any hypothetical or predictive statement," it said.
Iran is among the world's top hosting countries for refugees, it noted.
The country is home to about 2.5 million refugees, mainly Afghan nationals, according to the UN refugee agency.
The 27-nation bloc plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+) received around 822,000 asylum applications in 2025, down 19 percent on the previous year. That followed an 11 percent decrease in 2024.
The 2025 drop was largely driven by fewer applications by Syrians, Bangladeshis and Turks, the agency said.
Afghans accounted for most requests, having filed 117,000, a 33 percent increase on the previous year, followed by Venezuelans with 91,000 applications.
Turmoil in the Islamic republic risked upending a downward trend in requests for protection, the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) said, in a report written before the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
"With a population of approximately 90 million, even partial destabilization could generate refugee movements of an unprecedented magnitude," the EUAA said.
The European Commission said on March 2 it was "enhancing preparedness through closer monitoring" of the situation and reinforcing cooperation with relevant United Nations agencies and partner countries.
Asked for a fresh assessment as the Iran war spread across the region, the EUAA said it was "not in a position to comment on any impact the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East may have."
"The situation remains very fluid and it would be irresponsible to make any hypothetical or predictive statement," it said.
Iran is among the world's top hosting countries for refugees, it noted.
The country is home to about 2.5 million refugees, mainly Afghan nationals, according to the UN refugee agency.
The 27-nation bloc plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+) received around 822,000 asylum applications in 2025, down 19 percent on the previous year. That followed an 11 percent decrease in 2024.
The 2025 drop was largely driven by fewer applications by Syrians, Bangladeshis and Turks, the agency said.
Afghans accounted for most requests, having filed 117,000, a 33 percent increase on the previous year, followed by Venezuelans with 91,000 applications.
