BERLIN, Feb. 28 (Reuters) - Asylum applications in the European Union jumped 18% to 1.14 million in 2023, the highest level since the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, data from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) showed on Wednesday.

The new data will likely fuel an already heated debate about migration and far-right sentiment ahead of a slew of local and national votes across the continent as well as European Parliament elections in June.

Syrians and Afghans remained the largest applicant groups, according to the EUAA data. In a new trend, Turkish nationals made up the third largest applicant group, lodging 82% more applications than in the previous year.

The number of Palestinians applying for asylum rose to a record high of nearly 11,600 in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, it said, noting it was difficult to correctly register their number given a majority of EU member countries do not recognize Palestine as a state.