Statistics

Author

Dutch Council for Refugees Visit Website

Overview of statistical practice

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) publishes Asylum Trends with statistics on asylum and family reunification applications on a monthly basis.^[1] These do not indicate decisions on asylum applications, however. While this report provides some statistical information on the year 2023, various data was not made publicly available by the time of writing of this report.

Applications in 2023

Statistics on applicants concern people, including children and dependents.

Source: IND, Asylum trends, available at: http://bit.ly/3YJwEXS.

Granting of protection status at first instance: figures for 2023

Pending applications at the end of 2023: 49,860[3]

Based on Eurostat explanatory texts, this data refers to the number of persons covered by rejection/protection decisions, rather than the number of decisions (which may cover more than one person).

Source: Eurostat, First instance decisions on applications by type of decision, citizenship, age and sex – annual aggregated data, available at: https://bit.ly/3VAXROP.

Note 1: Statistics on decisions cover the decisions taken throughout the year, regardless of whether they concern applications lodged that year or in previous years.

Note 2: Due to lack of disaggregated data, rejections include both rejections on the merits and inadmissibility, etc rejections.

Note 3: Humanitarian protection in the Dutch context refers to the ‘derived asylum status’ for family members, Some family members who were not eligible for international protection themselves, but who came to the Netherlands together with a family member who was eligble for international protection, might receive a ‘derived asylum status’ upon their asylum request that was originally declined. This includes, spouses, partners, children and parents of minor children.^[6] 

Applications and granting of protection status at first instance: rates for 2023

Source of the percentages: Percentages calculated by the Dutch Refugee Council, on the basis of the raw data from Eurostat provided in the table above.

Notes:

• Due to lack of disaggregated data, these rates are calculated based on total decisions, including inadmissibility decisions, which do not always imply that the persons did not have a, potentially recognised, protection need.
• These rates are calculated including humanitarian protection among positive and total decisions. 

Gender/age breakdown of the total number of applicants: 2023

Source: Eurostat (with the exception of UAMs)

Note: The gender breakdown (Men/Women) applies to all applicants, not only adults.

* IND does not include unaccompanied minors in the total number of applicants.

First instance and appeal decision rates: 2023

National authorities did not provide detailed statistics on second instance decisions at the time of writing of the report.

^{[1] IND, Asylum trends, available at: http://bit.ly/3YJwEXS.}

^{[2] Unknown nationality refers to applicants who cannot prove their nationality. They either have a nationality or they are stateless, but they are not able to prove this or the IND does not believe the nationality they claim to have. See the website of the Government, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3PKWrNY and Workinstruction 2018/12 IND as identifying partner: changing identification registration by the IND, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3vFpc80.}

^{[3] IND, Jaarcijfers 2023, pending at the end of 2023 in Track 1: 4,030; Track 2: 190; Track 4 (first time applicants, repeated applicants, applicants whose applications had to be reassessed after a court decision, applicants who changed Track and Resettled applicants): 45,640, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3TTfeJw.}

^{[4] Total decisions including Track 1 (Dublin) and 2 (Safe countries of origin and EU-BIPs), Repeated applicants, applicants whose applications had to be reassessed after a court decision, applicants who changed Track and Resettled applicants: 34,980, source: IND, Jaarcijfers 2023, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3TTfeJw.}

^{[5] Unknown nationality refers to applicants who cannot prove their nationality. They either have a nationality or they are stateless, but they are not able to prove this or the IND does not believe the nationality they claim to have. See the website of the Government, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3PKWrNY and Workinstruction 2018/12 IND as identifying partner: changing identification registration by the IND, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3vFpc80.}

^{[6] Based on information received by the IND in March 2024.}

^{[7] Unknown nationality refers to applicants who cannot prove their nationality. They either have a nationality or they are stateless, but they are not able to prove this or the IND does not believe the nationality they claim to have. See the website of the Government, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3PKWrNY and Workinstruction 2018/12 IND as identifying partner: changing identification registration by the IND, available in Dutch at: https://bit.ly/3vFpc80.}