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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: 2024
| New applicants in 2024 | Pending at
the end of 2024 |
Total decisions in 2024 | Total in merit decisions[2] | Total rejections | In merit rejections[3] | Refugee status | Subsidiary protection | Humanitarian protection | ||
| Total | 9,634 | 3,685 | 11,453 | 8,713 | 6,221 | 5,250 | 1,340 | 595 | 310 | |
|
Breakdown by the main countries of origin of the total numbers of asylum applicants: |
||||||||||
| Syria | 976 | 473 | 955 | 714 | 230 | 156 | 171 | 326 | 13 | |
| Afghanistan | 839 | 313 | 1,056 | 806 | 366 | 321 | 300 | 41 | 83 | |
| Iraq | 572 | 257 | 738 | 631 | 530 | 488 | 51 | 38 | 21 | |
| Iran | 540 | 302 | 580 | 487 | 392 | 351 | 108 | 1 | 14 | |
| Uzbekistan | 517 | 95 | 616 | 501 | 548 | 476 | 14 | 1 | 4 | |
| Türkiye | 393 | 195 | 445 | 341 | 289 | 229 | 88 | 1 | 6 | |
| Eritrea | 359 | 119 | 357 | 262 | 114 | 78 | 136 | 9 | 12 | |
| Ukraine[4] | 330 | 109 | 1,235 | 982 | 122 | 121 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Nigeria | 239 | 75 | 243 | 163 | 176 | 127 | 18 | 3 | 8 | |
| Colombia | 238 | 63 | 280 | 252 | 249 | 248 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |
Source: Information provided by the Swedish Migration Agency via e-mail on January 2025, and the Swedish Migration Agencies Monthly Statistical Report of December 2024 (månrap 2412), pages 11 and 16.
Notes:
- 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 regarding applicants in a year, pending at end of year, total decisions in year, total in merit decisions, total rejection and in merit rejection. The Swedish 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 of the Alien Act. If a 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 exceptionally 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 2024[5]
| Overall rejection rate | In merit rejection rate[6] | Overall protection rate[7] | In merit protection rate | Refugee status recognition rate | Subsidiary
protection rate |
Humanitarian
protection rate |
|
| Total | 70% | 60% | 30% | 40% | 15.3% | 6.8% | 3.5% |
| Breakdown by the main countries of origin of the total numbers | |||||||
| Syria | 42% | 16% | 58% | 84% | 23.9% | 45.6% | 1.8% |
| Afghanistan | 54% | 36% | 46% | 64% | 37.2% | 5% | 10.2% |
| Iraq | 81% | 77% | 19% | 23% | 8% | 6% | 3.3% |
| Iran | 77% | 72% | 23% | 28% | 22.1% | 0.2% | 2.9% |
| Uzbekistan | 96% | 95% | 4% | 5% | 2.8% | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Türkiye | 75% | 67% | 25% | 33% | 25.8% | 0.3% | 1.8% |
| Eritrea | 48% | 22% | 52% | 78% | 51.9% | 3.4% | 4.5% |
| Ukraine | 30% | 12% | 70% | 88% | 0% | 0.1% | 0% |
| Nigeria | 85% | 77% | 15% | 23% | 11% | 0% | 4,9% |
| Colombia | 99% | 98% | 1% | 2% | 0.8% | 0% | 0,4% |
Source of the percentages: Swedish Migration Agency Monthly Statistical Report December 2024 (månrap 2412), pages 5, 11 and a calculation based on the numbers from the table above.
Gender/age breakdown of the total number of applicants: 2024
| Adults | Children | ||
| Accompanied | Unaccompanied | ||
| Number | 7,342[8] | 2,028 | 276 |
| Percentage | 76% | 21% | 3% |
| Men | Women | |
| Number | 5,889 | 3,757 |
| Percentage | 61% | 39% |
Source: Information provided by the Swedish Migration Agency in January 2025.
Note: The gender breakdown (Men/Women) applies to all applicants, not only adults.
First instance and appeal decision rates: 2024[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 | 11,453[10] | 100% | 8,447 | 100% |
| Positive decisions | 3,459 | 30.2% | 414 | 5% |
|
1,340 | 38.7% | Not Available | Not Available |
|
595 | 17.2% | Not Available | Not Available |
|
1,524 | 44% | Not Available | Not Available |
| Negative decisions | 6,221 | 54.3% | 7,395 | 87.5% |
Source: Swedish Migration Agency, Monthly Statistical Report December 2024, pages 9, 16, 22.
[1] Information provided by the Swedish Migration Agency in January 2025.
[2] The reason the total number of “in merit decisions” does not match the sum of rejections and grants of residence permits on protection or humanitarian grounds is because the data comes from different reports. Figures for refugee status, subsidiary protection, and humanitarian protection are based on a different total number of applicants than the figures for total applicants in a given year, pending cases at the end of the year, total decisions, and in merit decisions. This discrepancy arises because the reports use different data sets.
[3] You can find more information about inadmissibility here.
[4] The numbers regarding Ukraine only concern cases that are not handled in line with the Temporary Protection Directive.
[5] Information provided by the Swedish Migration Agency in January 2025.
[6] You can find more information about inadmissibility here.
[7] Including humanitarian protection.
[8] This number is obtained by calculating the total number of men and women and then removing accompanied and unaccompanied children.
[9] Information provided by the Migration Agency in January 2025.
[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 all other percentages than the total decisions does not add up to 100%. The total numbers from both First instance and Appeal does not match positive and negative decisions. In First instance, the missing 15.5% are cases that were dismissed and cancelled. For example, incorrectly entered cases or duplicates. In Appeals, the missing 12.4% percentage are cases that are referred back to the Swedish Migration Agency for processing. This is why the percentage of positive and negative decisions on appeal does not add up to 100%.
[11] The percentage for the Refugee status are calculated over the total of positive decision and not the total decisions.
[12] The percentage for the Subsidary procetion status are calculated over the total of positive decision and not the total decisions.
[13] This could, for example, be positive decisions granting a resident permit on humanitarian grounds, relatives to refugees, children born in Sweden with parents with resident permits, or persons who for various reasons have been granted a resident permit to live together with relatives in Sweden. The percentage of the ‘Other’ statuses is calculated over the total of positive decision and not the total decisions.