Fewer asylum seekers and following relatives in Q1

The number of first asylum requests was down by more than 400 relative to Q4 2018, but up by 1,250 relative to Q1 2018. The number of following family members has dropped for the fifth consecutive quarter.

Most asylum seekers and following relatives from Syria

The largest number of first-time asylum applicants (Q1 2019) were nationals from Syria (575 requests), Nigeria (485) and Iran (470). In addition, 300 or more asylum seekers of Algerian, Moldovan, Moroccan and Turkish nationality also requested asylum in the Netherlands. The number of requests by Nigerians and Iranians was much higher than one year previously.

Share of women and children varies greatly

In Q1 2019, on average 55 percent of asylum seekers were male adults, 19 percent were female adults and 26 percent were children under the age of 18. This varies significantly from one nationality to another. The group of Algerian asylum seekers mainly comprised men (88 percent). The proportion of male applicants was relatively low among Iranians (45 percent), Moldovans (30 percent) and Turks (49 percent). Children occupied the highest share among asylum seekers from Moldova (40 percent) and Iraq (37 percent).