Statistics

Belgium

Country Report: Statistics Last updated: 08/04/22

Author

Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen Visit Website

Overview of statistical practice

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes monthly statistical reports, providing information on asylum applicants and first instance decisions.[1] In addition, statistical information may be found in the reports of the Contact Group on International Protection, bringing together national authorities, UNHCR and civil society organisations.[2]

 

 

 

Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: 2021 

  Applicants in 2021 Pending at end 2021* (1) Refugee status (2) Subsidiary protection (2) Rejection** (2) Protection rate (3) Protection rate (excl. inadmissibility decisions) Refugee rate Sub. Prot. rate Rejection rate (4)
Total  

25,971

 

15,685  

9,222

 

871 11,817 43.5 % 58.3 % 39.4 % 4.5 % 56.5 %
Breakdown by countries of origin of the total numbers
Afghanistan 6,506 4,911 816 359 1,197 46.3 % 75,8 % 29.6% 16.7% 53.7 %
Syria 2,874 1,086 2.271 153 665 77.0 % 96.5 % 71.6% 5.4% 23.0 %
Palestine 1,662 992 1.502 5 1,089 58.0 % 73.2 % 57.7% 0.2% 42.0 %
Eritrea 1,558 540 1.229 0 178 85.2 % 95.7 % 85.2% 0.0% 14.8 %
Somalia 1,116 913 164 66 353 37.5 % 60.8 % 26.0% 11.5% 62.5 %
Iraq 941 690 133 15 785 13.3 % 38.3 % 12.0% 1.3% 86.7 %
Guinea 745 962 209 2 530 27.2 % 38.6 % 26.9% 0.3% 72.8 %
Turkey 658 867 374 0 199 63.1 % 73.2 % 63.1% 0.0% 36.9 %
Georgia 593 165 19 0 184 10.7 % 12.3 % 10.7% 0.0% 89.3 %
Albania 588 179 7 8 457 3.4 % 4.9 % 2.0% 1.4% 96.6 %

 Source: CGRS.

(1) This concerns the total number of persons whose application is still pending, regardless of whether the application was lodged in 2021 or in previous years.

(2) This concerns the total number of persons in whose case a decision has been taken in 2021, regardless of whether the application was lodged in 2021 or in previous year.

(3) The protection rate is the proportion of cases (one case can include several persons) for which the CGRS granted refugee status or subsidiary protection status in relation to the total number of cases in which a final decision was taken (= the total number of decisions – interim decisions) – withdrawals & cessations.

(4) The total rejection rate includes inadmissibility decisions after subsequent applications and towards beneficiaries of international protection in another member state, as in the information provided by the CGRS inadmissibility decisions were counted together with rejections on the merits. To filter these decisions and give a view of the protection rate in ‘new’ asylum cases, a dedicated column in which the protection rate is calculated based only on decisions on the merits is added.

* The 15,685 pending cases concerned 18,835 applicants.

** Out of the 11,817 decision registered as rejected, 5,169 were cases declared as ‘non-admissible’, 607 as ‘manifestly unfounded’ and rejected in the accelerated procedure, while the actual rejections on the merits were 6,041.

 

Gender/age breakdown of the total number of applicants: 2021

  Number Percentage
Total number of applicants 25,971
Men (incl. children) 18,811 72.4 %
Women (incl. children) 7,160 27.6 %
Children 8,446 32.5 %
Unaccompanied children (1) 1,976 (3,219 decl.) 7.6 % (12.4 % decl.)

Source: CGRS.

3,129 applicants declared being unaccompanied minor at the moment of their application for international protection. After age assessment, 1.976 of them were indeed considered unaccompanied minors; 1,243 were declared to be of age. These numbers concern the situation at the start of January 2022. The Immigration Office will further actualise these numbers throughout the year on the basis of the results of ongoing age assessment tests.

 

Comparison between first instance and appeal decision rates: 2021

No statistics on appeal decision rates were available as of 5 April 2022.

 

 

 

 

[1] CGRS, Figures, available in English, Dutch and French at: https://bit.ly/3uk6M9L.

[2] Myria, Contact group international protection, available in French and Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3sE592s.

Table of contents

  • Statistics
  • Overview of the legal framework
  • Overview of the main changes since the previous report update
  • Asylum Procedure
  • Reception Conditions
  • Detention of Asylum Seekers
  • Content of International Protection
  • ANNEX I – Transposition of the CEAS in national legislation