Fewer asylum requests, more following family members in Q1

25/04/2024 15:00

In Q1 2024, nearly 9 thousand people submitted a first-time asylum application in the Netherlands. This was down 31 percent on Q4 2023. The number of following family members increased by 3 percent. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of the most recent asylum figures from the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).

More asylum seekers (+ 29 percent) as well as following family members (+62 percent) came to the Netherlands year on year.

First-time asylum applications and family reunification
Jaar	Kwartaal	Asylum requests (x 1,000)	Following family members (x 1,000)
2018	Q1	4.16	2.14
2018	Q2	4.32	1.97
2018	Q3	6.21	1.28
2018	Q4	5.84	1.07
2019	Q1	5.38	0.85
2019	Q2	5.19	0.89
2019	Q3	5.87	1.20
2019	Q4	6.10	1.25
2020	Q1	4.47	1.07
2020	Q2	1.26	0.26
2020	Q3	4.10	0.86
2020	Q4	3.90	1.68
2021	Q1	2.72	1.51
2021	Q2	3.34	2.60
2021	Q3	8.82	2.78
2021	Q4	9.87	3.23
2022	Q1	6.45	2.57
2022	Q2	7.33	3.17
2022	Q3	11.02	3.65
2022	Q4	10.75	1.55
2023	Q1	6.94	1.91
2023	Q2	7.95	2.63
2023	Q3	10.51	2.60
2023	Q4	12.98	2.99
2024	Q1	8.97	3.09

First-time asylum applications and family reunification
Jaar	Kwartaal	Asylum requests (x 1,000)	Following family members (x 1,000)
2018	Q1	4.16	2.14
2018	Q2	4.32	1.97
2018	Q3	6.21	1.28
2018	Q4	5.84	1.07
2019	Q1	5.38	0.85
2019	Q2	5.19	0.89
2019	Q3	5.87	1.20
2019	Q4	6.10	1.25
2020	Q1	4.47	1.07
2020	Q2	1.26	0.26
2020	Q3	4.10	0.86
2020	Q4	3.90	1.68
2021	Q1	2.72	1.51
2021	Q2	3.34	2.60
2021	Q3	8.82	2.78
2021	Q4	9.87	3.23
2022	Q1	6.45	2.57
2022	Q2	7.33	3.17
2022	Q3	11.02	3.65
2022	Q4	10.75	1.55
2023	Q1	6.94	1.91
2023	Q2	7.95	2.63
2023	Q3	10.51	2.60
2023	Q4	12.98	2.99
2024	Q1	8.97	3.09

Fewer asylum requests from Syrians, but more from Iraqis

Nearly a third of 9 thousand first-time asylum applicants were from Syria (2.9 thousand). That was 39 percent less than in the final quarter of 2023 and 86 percent more relative to one year previously.

More people from Iraq applied for asylum for the first time (1.2 thousand) than in previous quarters; an increase of 80 percent relative to Q4 2023. However, the year-on-year increase was 543 percent. After Syria and Iraq, most first-time asylum applications were submitted by people from Turkey (495) and Yemen (470).

First-time asylum applications, main nationalities
Jaar	Kwartaal	Syrian (x 1,000)	Iraqi (x 1,000)	Turkish (x 1,000)	Yemeni (x 1,000)	Other (x 1,000)
2020	Q1	1.10	0.11	0.25	0.14	2.88
2020	Q2	0.36	0.05	0.05	0.07	0.74
2020	Q3	1.37	0.09	0.45	0.13	2.07
2020	Q4	1.25	0.09	0.24	0.08	2.24
2021	Q1	0.90	0.07	0.09	0.08	1.59
2021	Q2	1.02	0.06	0.38	0.11	1.79
2021	Q3	2.55	0.13	1.54	0.32	4.29
2021	Q4	3.92	0.49	0.46	0.69	4.32
2022	Q1	1.63	0.14	0.36	0.53	3.81
2022	Q2	2.25	0.11	0.70	0.55	3.73
2022	Q3	4.60	0.17	0.94	0.68	4.64
2022	Q4	4.19	0.26	0.70	0.68	4.93
2023	Q1	1.56	0.19	0.48	0.49	4.24
2023	Q2	2.38	0.41	0.51	0.52	4.14
2023	Q3	4.32	0.24	0.88	0.42	4.66
2023	Q4	4.78	0.66	1.01	0.56	5.97
2024	Q1	2.90	1.19	0.50	0.47	3.91

First-time asylum applications, main nationalities
Jaar	Kwartaal	Syrian (x 1,000)	Iraqi (x 1,000)	Turkish (x 1,000)	Yemeni (x 1,000)	Other (x 1,000)
2020	Q1	1.10	0.11	0.25	0.14	2.88
2020	Q2	0.36	0.05	0.05	0.07	0.74
2020	Q3	1.37	0.09	0.45	0.13	2.07
2020	Q4	1.25	0.09	0.24	0.08	2.24
2021	Q1	0.90	0.07	0.09	0.08	1.59
2021	Q2	1.02	0.06	0.38	0.11	1.79
2021	Q3	2.55	0.13	1.54	0.32	4.29
2021	Q4	3.92	0.49	0.46	0.69	4.32
2022	Q1	1.63	0.14	0.36	0.53	3.81
2022	Q2	2.25	0.11	0.70	0.55	3.73
2022	Q3	4.60	0.17	0.94	0.68	4.64
2022	Q4	4.19	0.26	0.70	0.68	4.93
2023	Q1	1.56	0.19	0.48	0.49	4.24
2023	Q2	2.38	0.41	0.51	0.52	4.14
2023	Q3	4.32	0.24	0.88	0.42	4.66
2023	Q4	4.78	0.66	1.01	0.56	5.97
2024	Q1	2.90	1.19	0.50	0.47	3.91

A third of Iraqi asylum seekers were aged under 18

The largest number of people who applied for asylum in Q1 2024 were aged under 35, and a quarter were aged under 18. A third of all asylum applicants from Iraq were minors.

Men are more likely to submit a first-time asylum application. In Q1 2024, three quarters of all applications were made by men. The percentage was higher among those from Syria and Yemen, at 85 and 83 percent, respectively.

First-time asylum applications, main nationalities, Q1 2024
Nationaliteit	aged under 18 (x 1,000)	18-24 yrs (x 1,000)	25-34 yrs (x 1,000)	35-44 yrs (x 1,000)	45-54 yrs (x 1,000)	55-64 yrs (x 1,000)	65 yrs and over (x 1,000)
Syrian	0.68	0.55	0.72	0.49	0.35	0.11	0.02
Iraqi	0.41	0.37	0.30	0.08	0.00	0.02	0.01
Yemeni	0.07	0.16	0.16	0.06	0.02	0.01	0.01
Turkish	0.10	0.09	0.15	0.09	0.06	0.01	0.00

First-time asylum applications, main nationalities, Q1 2024
Nationaliteit	aged under 18 (x 1,000)	18-24 yrs (x 1,000)	25-34 yrs (x 1,000)	35-44 yrs (x 1,000)	45-54 yrs (x 1,000)	55-64 yrs (x 1,000)	65 yrs and over (x 1,000)
Syrian	0.68	0.55	0.72	0.49	0.35	0.11	0.02
Iraqi	0.41	0.37	0.30	0.08	0.00	0.02	0.01
Yemeni	0.07	0.16	0.16	0.06	0.02	0.01	0.01
Turkish	0.10	0.09	0.15	0.09	0.06	0.01	0.00

More family reunification among people from Syria and Yemen

By far the most family member arrivals were from Syria (2.3 thousand out of a total of 3.1 thousand). Other countries from which following family members arrived relatively often were Yemen (225), Turkey (145) and Iraq (85). Year on year, the number from Syria doubled (+ 111 percent), and the number of family member arrivals from Yemen almost tripled (+ 181 percent). In Q1 2024, 6 in 10 following family members were women, while nearly half were aged under 18.

Following family members, main nationalities
Jaar	Kwartaal	Syrian (x 1,000)	Yemeni (x 1,000)	Turkish (x 1,000)	Iraqi (x 1,000)	Other (x 1,000)
2020	Q1	0.32	0.08	0.02	0.01	0.65
2020	Q2	0.07	0.02	0.01	0.00	0.16
2020	Q3	0.36	0.06	0.17	0.03	0.26
2020	Q4	0.72	0.28	0.06	0.07	0.56
2021	Q1	0.77	0.20	0.18	0.06	0.31
2021	Q2	1.64	0.19	0.14	0.09	0.55
2021	Q3	1.79	0.12	0.27	0.06	0.55
2021	Q4	2.25	0.15	0.15	0.06	0.64
2022	Q1	1.75	0.10	0.14	0.05	0.54
2022	Q2	2.25	0.12	0.26	0.03	0.52
2022	Q3	2.48	0.11	0.49	0.03	0.55
2022	Q4	0.77	0.05	0.22	0.03	0.49
2023	Q1	1.09	0.08	0.27	0.08	0.40
2023	Q2	1.75	0.20	0.33	0.07	0.30
2023	Q3	1.75	0.31	0.30	0.04	0.21
2023	Q4	2.12	0.24	0.26	0.08	0.31
2024	Q1	2.31	0.23	0.15	0.09	0.33

Following family members, main nationalities
Jaar	Kwartaal	Syrian (x 1,000)	Yemeni (x 1,000)	Turkish (x 1,000)	Iraqi (x 1,000)	Other (x 1,000)
2020	Q1	0.32	0.08	0.02	0.01	0.65
2020	Q2	0.07	0.02	0.01	0.00	0.16
2020	Q3	0.36	0.06	0.17	0.03	0.26
2020	Q4	0.72	0.28	0.06	0.07	0.56
2021	Q1	0.77	0.20	0.18	0.06	0.31
2021	Q2	1.64	0.19	0.14	0.09	0.55
2021	Q3	1.79	0.12	0.27	0.06	0.55
2021	Q4	2.25	0.15	0.15	0.06	0.64
2022	Q1	1.75	0.10	0.14	0.05	0.54
2022	Q2	2.25	0.12	0.26	0.03	0.52
2022	Q3	2.48	0.11	0.49	0.03	0.55
2022	Q4	0.77	0.05	0.22	0.03	0.49
2023	Q1	1.09	0.08	0.27	0.08	0.40
2023	Q2	1.75	0.20	0.33	0.07	0.30
2023	Q3	1.75	0.31	0.30	0.04	0.21
2023	Q4	2.12	0.24	0.26	0.08	0.31
2024	Q1	2.31	0.23	0.15	0.09	0.33

Sources

StatLine - Asylum requests and family reunification; nationality, sex and age

Fewer asylum requests from Syrians, but more from Iraqis

A third of Iraqi asylum seekers were aged under 18

More family reunification among people from Syria and Yemen

Sources

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