In turn Germany was overtaken by France and Spain as the leading destinations for asylum-seekers.
In total, EU+ countries received 399,000 asylum applications in the first six months of the year.
Beset by economic and political turmoil at home, Venezuelans accounted for 49,000 of them.
The overall decrease will be welcomed in Brussels, as the EU has been under pressure to clamp down on migration, following a souring of public opinion that has fuelled hard-right electoral gains in several member states.
Earlier this year, the European Commission unveiled plans to make it easier to turn away asylum-seekers and boost deportations.
-Agence France-Presse