Migration: Eurostat, number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the EU down 20%. Over 13,000 in 2019

While remaining significantly high, the number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the EU decreased by 20%. Figures released today by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, show that 13,800 asylum seekers under 18 applied for international protection in a EU country in 2019, accounting for 7% of all asylum seekers. They were 16,800 in 2018, while the peak was recorded in 2015 with 92,000 requests. 85% of unaccompanied minors were males. 9,200 were aged 16 to 17, while those aged 14 to 15 were 3,100 and those aged less than 14 were 1,500 (11%). As regards the countries of origin, most of the minors were from Afghanistan (30%), Syria and Pakistan (both 10%), Somalia, Guinea and Iraq (5% each). The highest number of asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors was registered in Greece (3,300 unaccompanied minors, or 24% of all those registered in the EU Member States), followed by Germany (2,700, or 19%), Belgium (1,200, or 9%), and the Netherlands (1,000, or 8%). In Italy, the number of asylum applications lodged by unaccompanied minors decreased by 83%.
Valentina Bombelli