Denmark '20th most popular' EU country for refugees
Refugees are increasingly looking to EU countries other than Denmark when seeking asylum status, according to new data.
A review by the Ministry of Immigration and Integration shows Denmark in 2021 was 20th out of the 27 EU countries for the number of asylum applications received.
That is the lowest Denmark has figured on the list since it was first recorded in 2008.
Denmark’s highest position on the list came in 2014 when it was fifth and thereby took in a relatively high proportion of the EU’s asylum seekers.
It has since gradually dropped down the list as successive governments have pursued policies aimed at reducing the number of refugees taken in by the country.
The Minister for Immigration and Integration, Kaare Dybvad Bek, said that the number demonstrate that the government has fulfilled its election pledge to maintain tight immigration policies and restrict refugee arrivals.
“That ensures that we can slowly make up for decades of failed immigration policies,” Bek said in a statement.
The minister told Avisen Danmark that he hopes Denmark will eventually be at the very bottom of the list.
The five countries with the highest numbers of asylum seekers are Cyprus, Malta, Greece, Austria and Germany.
At the bottom of the list is Hungary in 27th place, followed by Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia and Portugal.
Denmark’s Scandinavian EU neighbour Sweden is 14th.
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A review by the Ministry of Immigration and Integration shows Denmark in 2021 was 20th out of the 27 EU countries for the number of asylum applications received.
That is the lowest Denmark has figured on the list since it was first recorded in 2008.
Denmark’s highest position on the list came in 2014 when it was fifth and thereby took in a relatively high proportion of the EU’s asylum seekers.
It has since gradually dropped down the list as successive governments have pursued policies aimed at reducing the number of refugees taken in by the country.
The Minister for Immigration and Integration, Kaare Dybvad Bek, said that the number demonstrate that the government has fulfilled its election pledge to maintain tight immigration policies and restrict refugee arrivals.
“That ensures that we can slowly make up for decades of failed immigration policies,” Bek said in a statement.
The minister told Avisen Danmark that he hopes Denmark will eventually be at the very bottom of the list.
The five countries with the highest numbers of asylum seekers are Cyprus, Malta, Greece, Austria and Germany.
At the bottom of the list is Hungary in 27th place, followed by Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia and Portugal.
Denmark’s Scandinavian EU neighbour Sweden is 14th.
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