Malta saw fourfold increase in unaccompanied children seeking asylum

Malta had 20 asylum applications by unaccompanied minors in 2019, four times higher than the previous year, figures released by Eurostat show.

The majority of unaccompanied minors who made it to Malta were Somalis and a smaller number, Ivorian. 

At EU level, just 5% of such applicants came from Somalia, with the largest group coming from Afghanistan, at 30%. 

The EU countries where the most applications by unaccompanied minors were processed were the United Kingdom, which has since left the bloc, with 3,650 and Greece with 3,330.

An asylum applicant is considered to be an unaccompanied minor if aged less than 18 and arrives on the territory of the member states unaccompanied by an adult responsible for him. In the absence of documentary evidence, an age assessment procedure is used to establish the age of the applicant. 

In 2019, 13,800 asylum seekers applying for international protection in the 27 EU states were considered to be unaccompanied minors, nearly 20% fewer than in 2018 (16,800), continuing the downward trend that started after the peak year 2015 (92,000).

At the EU level, unaccompanied minors accounted for 7% of all asylum applicants aged less than 18 in 2019.

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