2015–2016: Asylum arrivals & European decisions

Wars in Syria and elsewhere drove unusually large numbers of people to seek protection in Europe. Eurostat reports that first-time asylum applications in the European Union peaked at roughly 1.2 million in both 2015 and 2016. Applications are not the same as permanent immigration, citizenship or the number of people eventually granted protection.

Governments disagreed over border registration, reception capacity and the distribution of responsibility. Germany, Greece, Italy and other countries faced different pressures depending on geography, existing communities and national rules. Local residents encountered practical questions about accommodation, school places, language instruction and health care; newcomers encountered delays, uncertain status and difficulties entering the labor market.

The demographic claim that departures emptied neighboring countries cannot be inferred from asylum totals. To measure changes in any origin country, births, deaths, return migration and movement to destinations outside Europe must also be counted. The official European statistics provide destination-country applications, not a comprehensive balance sheet of each origin country.