Refugee numbers reach 2001 levels, Syria dominates new requests

In total, 12,000 people have applied for asylum in the Netherlands in the first six months of this year, the highest figure since 2001, the national statistics office CBS said on Tuesday.

The figure is double that in the first half of 2013, the CBS said. Most – 3,700 – came from Syria, followed by Eritrea (3,500). Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan used to dominate the number of requests for refugee status.

This May, junior justice minister Fred Teeven sounded the alarm about the number of asylum seekers from Eritrea coming to the Netherlands. He said human traffickers were to blame for much of the increase.

Since then, and the stepping up of border controls, the number of people entering the Netherlands from Eritrea has dropped, the CBS said. In June just 200 Eritreans applied for asylum in the Netherlands.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation