The number of asylum seekers granted protection in Denmark hit one of its lowest levels in decades, according to new data from the Danish Immigration Service. In 2024, just 860 individuals were granted asylum, a figure that marks only the second time in over 40 years that the number has fallen below 1,000.
The two years prior, 2022 and 2023, the number of accepted asylum seekers was 1,403 and 1,343 respectively. This is a drastic drop from the figures from the immigration crisis in 2015 when over 10,000 people were granted asylum. Last year, 2,300 people requested asylum in Denmark, the majority from Syria and Afghanistan.
Immigration and integration minister Kaare Dybvad Bek pointed to Denmark’s strict immigration policy as the reason for the low numbers. “It is crucial for our society and cohesion that we have a low influx of asylum seekers so that integration can keep up,” he said. “That is why I am pleased that we are currently experiencing a low influx of asylum seekers and few granted asylum permits. I am fully convinced that we can thank our strict immigration policy for the low asylum numbers.”
The numbers do not include Ukrainian refugees, who fall under a special law that ensures that they as refugees from the ongoing war can work or attend school in Denmark. Approximately 40,000 Ukrainians have sought refuge in Denmark, and 11,000 of them left the country again.
Before Denmark signed the Maastricht Treaty in 1993, it secured an exemption from the EU’s immigration policies as one of four opt-outs.
