On the occasion of World Refugee Day, celebrated on June 20, the ISMU ETS Foundation reveals a 12% decline in international protection requests presented in European Union countries: 997 thousand in 2024, compared to 1.13 million in 2023. Italy confirms its position as a major host country, with about 159 thousand asylum requests, accounting for 16% of the European total and ranking third behind Germany and Spain. This statistic is the highest recorded in Italy in the last ten years, with a steady increase since 2021. Globally, according to the latest Global Trends 2024 report by UNHCR, by the end of April 2025, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide reached 122.1 million, up from 120 million the previous year. Conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, and Ukraine remain among the leading causes of forced migration. In Italy, however, refugee status recognition remains low, with only 7.6% of requests accepted in 2024. Over 50,000 of the approximately 78 thousand cases reviewed were rejected. The rate of recognition is lower than the EU norm (48.6% of denials), reflecting a long-standing trend: between 2012 and 2024, Italy granted refugee status in 10% of applications, compared to 23% in Europe. The national peak was reached in 2021, with 17% of favorable outcomes, while the European record occurred in 2015, with 39%.