Author
Overview of statistical practice
The Swedish Migration Agency publishes monthly statistical reports on asylum applications and first instance decisions.[1] These include a breakdown per nationality, as well as statistics specifically relating to unaccompanied children.
Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: 2023
| Applicants in 2023 | Pending at
end of 2023 |
Total decisions in 2023 | Total in merit decisions | Total rejection | In merit rejection[2] | Refugee status | Subsidiary protection | Humanitarian protection | ||
| Total | 12,491 | 5,229 | 15,904 | 12,430 | 9,573 | 8,233 | 2,366 | 674 | 731 | |
| Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers | ||||||||||
| Afghanistan | 1,343 | 454 | 2,247 | 1,963 | 837 | 748 | 792 | 83 | 242 | |
| Iraq | 996 | 408 | 1,408 | 1,265 | 986 | 950 | 114 | 36 | 119 | |
| Syria | 953 | 405 | 1,274 | 1,041 | 284 | 203 | 376 | 395 | 22 | |
| Uzbekistan | 775 | 192 | 843 | 681 | 725 | 639 | 28 | 2 | 8 | |
| Iran | 745 | 326 | 847 | 715 | 605 | 535 | 149 | 2 | 13 | |
| Türkiye | 533 | 242 | 595 | 465 | 444 | 370 | 66 | – | 9 | |
| Ukraine[3] | 524 | 1,062 | 388 | 6 | 7 | 4 | – | – | 1 | |
| Colombia | 418 | 104 | 538 | 488 | 492 | 486 | 2 | – | – | |
| Eritrea | 410 | 97 | 482 | 367 | 124 | 91 | 194 | 8 | 29 | |
| Russia | 318 | 154 | 557 | 408 | 422 | 343 | 45 | – | 8 | |
Source: Information provided by Migration Agency via e-mail in January 2024 and Migration Agency Monthly Statistical Report December 2023 (mårap 2312), pages 9, 16.
Notes:
- Inadmissibility decisions are excluded.
- These numbers are defined as first-time applicants, however, applications by persons who have previously had their applications rejected and who apply again after their expulsion decision has become statute-barred (which it is four years after the decision has become final) may also be registered as first-time applications.
- Please note that the numbers for refugee status, subsidiary protection and humanitarian protection are based on other total numbers of applicants because the numbers are from another report than the numbers in applicants in a year, pending at end of year, total decisions in year, total in merit decisions, total rejection and in merit rejection. The Migration Agency uses different definitions in different reports, which makes the numbers different in the various sources.
- Statistics on decisions cover the decisions taken throughout the year, regardless of whether they concern applications lodged that year or in previous years.
- Humanitarian protection (in Swedish Synnerligen ömmande omständigheter) is found in Chapter 5 Section 6 Alien Act. If residence permit cannot be granted on other grounds, a permit may be granted to a foreign national if, based on a comprehensive assessment of the foreign national’s situation, there are such extremely compelling circumstances that they should be allowed to stay in Sweden. In the assessment, the foreign national’s health condition, adaptation to Sweden, and situation in the home country shall be particularly considered. Children may also be granted residence permits even if the circumstances presented do not have the same severity and weight required for permits to be granted to adult individuals.
Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: rates for year 2023[4]
| Overall rejection rate | In merit rejection rate[5] | Overall protection rate[6] | In merit protection rate | Refugee rate (1) (4) | Subsidiary
protection rate |
Humanitarian
protection rate |
|
| Total | 74% | 66% | 26% | 34% | 19% | 5% | 6% |
|
Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers |
|||||||
| Afghanistan | 46% | 37% | 54% | 63% | 40% | 4% | 12% |
| Iraq | 78% | 75% | 22% | 25% | 9% | 3% | 9% |
| Syria | 34% | 16% | 66% | 84% | 36% | 38% | 2% |
| Uzbekistan | 95% | 94% | 5% | 6% | 4% | 0.3% | 1% |
| Iran | 79% | 75% | 21% | 25% | 21% | 0.3% | 2% |
| Türkiye | 84% | 80% | 16% | 20% | 14% | 0% | 2% |
| Ukraine[7] | 99% | 50% | 1% | 50% | 0% | 0% | 17% |
| Colombia | 100% | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0.5% | 0% | 0% |
| Eritrea | 43% | 18% | 57% | 82% | 53% | 2% | 8% |
| Russia | 88% | 84% | 12% | 16% | 11% | 0% | 2% |
Source of the percentages: Migration Agency Monthly Statistical Report December 2023 (mårap 2312), p. 5, 11 and a calculation of the numbers from the previous table.
Gender/age breakdown of the total number of applicants: 2023
| Adults | Children | ||
| Accompanied | Unaccompanied | ||
| Number | 9,496[8] | 2,667 | 339 |
| Percentage | 76% | 21% | 3% |
| Men | Women | |
| Number | 7,910 | 4,592 |
| Percentage | 63% | 37% |
Source: Information provided by the Swedish Migration Agency in January 2024
Note: The gender breakdown (Men/Women) applies to all applicants, not only adults.
First instance and appeal decision rates: 2023[9]
It should be noted that, during the same year, the first instance and appeal authorities handle different caseloads. Thus, the decisions below do not concern the same applicants.
| First instance | Appeal | |||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Total number of decisions | 15,904[10] | 100% | 9,642[11] | 100% |
| Positive decisions | 4,197 | 26% | 468 | 5% |
|
2,366 | 15% | Not available | Not available |
|
674 | 4% | Not available | Not available |
|
1,157 | 4.5% | Not available | Not available |
| Negative decisions | 9,573 | 60% | 8,539 | 89% |
Source: Swedish Migration Agency, Monthly Statistical Report December 2023, page 9, 16, 22.
We have also received the total numbers of refugee status, subsidiary protection and on humanitarian grounds (which is a part of Other) from the Migration Agency by email in March 2024. The total numbers from both First instance and Appeal does not match positive and negative decisions. In First instance, the missing 14% are cases that were dismissed and cancelled. For example, incorrectly entered cases or duplicates. In Appeals, the missing 6 % percentage are cases that are referred back to the Migration Agency for processing. This is why the percentage of positive and negative decisions in appeal does not add up to 100%.
[1] Information provided by Migration Agency in January 2024.
[2] You can find more information about inadmissibility here.
[3] The numbers regarding Ukraine only concern cases that are not handled in line with the temporary protection directive. During 2023, the Migration Agency had a decision halt for cases from Ukraine while they assessed the situation in the country. At the end of 2023, the Migration Agency had 1,062 cases pending.
[4] Information provided by Migration Agency in January 2024.
[5] You can find more information about inadmissibility here.
[6] Including humanitarian protection.
[7] The numbers regarding Ukraine only concern cases that are not handled in line with the temporary protection directive. During 2023, the Migration Agency had a decision halt for cases from Ukraine while they assessed the situation in the country.
[8] This number is sourced by calculating the total of men and women and then removing accompanied and unaccompanied children.
[9] Information provided by the Migration Agency in January 2023.
[10] Includes cases that have been rejected in merit and cases that have not been taken up for processing because the asylum seeker has already applied for asylum in another EU country in accordance with the Dublin Regulation, which is why the percentage does not add up to 100%.
[11] Also includes referred cases, which is why the percentage does not add up to 100%.
[12] This could for example be decisions that grant the applicant’s appeal and send the application back to the first instance authority for a new decision, positive decisions granting a resident permit on humanitarian grounds, relatives to refugees, children born in Sweden with parents with resident permits, persons who for various reasons have been granted a resident permit to live together with relatives in Sweden.