When the books were closed on 2025, only 839 asylum applications had been approved in Denmark, an exceptionally low figure for the country, the government announced on Saturday.
Data from the Ministry of Immigration show that it has been rare in recent decades for the annual total to fall below 1,000, meaning this year is likely to end with a “historically low” number. By the end of November, a total of 1,835 asylum applications had been registered in the country of six million people.
Immigration Minister Rasmus Stoklund said the government’s priority remains to ensure that as few foreigners as possible are granted asylum in Denmark. The nation has pursued a “zero asylum seekers” goal since 2019, implementing measures like temporary residence permits, delayed family reunification, border controls, and a reputation for deterrence that has significantly reduced arrivals.
Other strict policies, implemented since the 2015-16 migration crisis, have contributed to making Denmark a less attractive country for asylum seekers, including high rejection rates for certain nationalities and requirements like language proficiency and employment for permanent status.
In recent years, Copenhagen has introduced a series of measures aimed at further deterring migration and making citizenship harder to obtain; in 2024, for instance, only around 860 of the 2,333 asylum applications submitted were approved.
