Number of child asylum seekers in EU soared in 2021, with many from Afghanistan

FILE PHOTO: Refugees and migrants wait as they take part in a pre-registration process that gives them access to the asylum procedure, at the premises of the disused Hellenikon airport, in Athens, Greece, June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

(Reuters) - The number of unaccompanied children who sought asylum in the European Union in 2021 jumped by 72% as the number of refugees arriving from Afghanistan rose sharply, the bloc's statistics office said on Wednesday.

Overall however, the number of asylum seekers who were granted protection in the European Union fell 5% last year, Eurostat said, without giving reasons.