The number of people applying for asylum in the Netherlands fell by 13% to 11,600 in 2011, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS.

The biggest group, 1,900, came from Afghanistan. The number of Somali and Iraqi nationals has dropped sharply since the government introduced tougher checks and restricted the rights of family members, the CBS said.
The number of refugees has been around the 12,000 mark for several years now.
The anti-immigration PVV has made a 25% reduction in refugee numbers one of the main conditions for its support for the minority coalition.