Number of asylum seekers in Denmark 2011-2021

The number of asylum seekers in Denmark peaked in 2015, when a high number of refugees and asylum seekers, especially from Syria, arrived in Europe. That year, over 20,000 people applied for asylum in Denmark. In the years that followed, the number of asylum seekers decreased significantly and counted only 2,100 in 2021. In 2020, only short of 600 people were granted asylum in Denmark, which was the lowest number in 30 years.

Fewer asylum seekers

From 2015 onwards, the Danish government implemented several policies which made it harder for immigrants to seek asylum in Denmark. It is a stated target of the government that zero people shall apply for asylum in the country. Consequently, the number of asylum seekers as well as the number of successful grants of asylum decreased in the past years. Syrians and Eritreans accounted for the highest number of people receiving asylum in 2020, followed by Moroccans and Iranians.

Residence permits

The number of people who are granted asylum in Denmark is remarkably low when compared to other groups of immigrants. In 2020, most immigrants to Denmark came from other European countries, reaching almost 32,000 people. Furthermore, approximately 12,000 migrant workers and around 9,000 foreign students received residence permits that year. Asylum seekers thus constitute the group of immigrants which are granted the fewest number of residence permits in the country.