Eurostat: 13,600 unaccompanied minors sought asylum in the EU in 2020. Record arrivals from Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan

Unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the EU were 13,600 in 2020, accounting for 10% of all asylum applicants aged less than 18. The majority (88%) were males. 67% were aged 16 to 17 (9,100 minors), while those aged 14 to 15 accounted for 22% (3,000), and those aged less than 14 for 11% (1,500 persons). Afghan, Syrian and Pakistani are the main citizenships of these boys and girls: of all unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, 5,500 were Afghans, 2,300 were Syrians, and 1,100 were Pakistanis. As is the case since 2008, Afghan continues to be the main citizenship of the majority of these unaccompanied minors. In 2020, the number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum declined by 4% compared with the previous year, when they were about 14,100. The peak was recorded in 2015, when 92,000 unaccompanied minors sought refuge in Europe.

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