The coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions have contributed to far fewer people seeking asylum in EU countries, Norway, and Switzerland this year.
A total of 295,075 people applied for asylum in European countries in the first eight months of the year, a decrease of 31% from the same period last year, according to figures from the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).
In January, before the coronavirus pandemic hit, there were 65,692 asylum seekers in Europe.
The number fell to just over 40,000 in August.
A total of 13% of asylum seekers in August came from Syria, 10% from Afghanistan, 9% from Venezuela, and 7% from Colombia.
According to EASO, 26% of asylum applications in August were granted, while the proportion in the first months of the year as a whole was 31%.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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