Germany received 28,922 asylum applications in the first quarter of 2026, a 23% decline compared to the same period last year and the country's lowest figure in years, according to a confidential European Commission migration report cited by German outlet Welt am Sonntag. For the first time since 2015, Germany ranked fourth among EU member states, behind France (34,643 applications), Spain (32,630), and Italy (32,602). Experts attribute the fall not to Germany's more restrictive asylum policies but primarily to dramatic declines in applications from Syrians and Ukrainians — down 63% and 57% respectively across the EU — two groups that had historically favoured Germany as a destination. Across all 27 EU member states plus Norway and Switzerland, asylum applications fell 18% year-on-year to 173,082, with Venezuelans, Afghans, and Bangladeshis making up the largest groups of applicants.