A decline in the number of asylum seekers in Europe last year was mainly due to fewer people requesting protection in Malta, Italy and Greece, according to the 2010 statistical overview of asylum applications lodged in Europe and selected non-European countries, released today.

The overview shows a dramatic fall in the number of asylum-seekers in the industrialised world over the last 10 years. In 2010, 358,800 asylum applications were lodged in industrialised countries, five per cent less than in 2009.

The number of applications was the fourth lowest in the last decade and almost half (42 per cent) of the 620,000 applications filed in 2001.

Most regions, including Europe, North America and North Asia, reported year-on-year decreases.

Within Europe, the largest decline (-33 per cent from 2009) was seen in countries in the south, mainly because fewer people requested protection in Malta, Italy and Greece.

This decline was offset by increases elsewhere, especially in Germany (49 per cent), Sweden (32 per cent), Denmark (30 per cent), Turkey (18 per cent), Belgium (16 per cent) and France (13 per cent).

In the Nordic countries, the increases in Denmark and Sweden were offset by significant declines in Norway (-42 per cent) and Finland (-32 per cent).

The top five asylum receiving countries in 2010 were: the United States, France, Germany, Sweden and Canada. Together, they accounted for more than half (56 per cent) of all asylum applications covered in the report.

With 55,530 applications in 2010, the US was the largest recipient country.

It saw a 13 per cent increase from 2009, partly due to a rise in the number of Chinese and Mexican asylum-seekers. France maintained its second-place position with 47,800 applications, followed by Germany (41,330).

Both countries saw an increase in applications partly due to a rise in asylum-seekers from Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This development was widely attributed to the introduction of visa-free entry to the European Union for nationals of these two countries since December 2009.

Serbia (including Kosovo) was the main source of asylum-seekers last year. It was responsible for 28,900 applications, an increase of 54 per cent compared to the previous year, when the country ranked sixth. The number of asylum applications in 2010 was comparable to 2001, soon after the Kosovo crisis.

Afghanistan slid to second place with a decrease of nine per cent compared to the previous year.

Chinese asylum-seekers made up the third-largest asylum group in 2010, partly due to a substantial drop in the number of new applications from Iraq and Somalia.

For the first time since 2005, Iraq was not one of the top two countries of origin of asylum-seekers. It dropped to fourth place, followed by the Russian Federation. Somalia, which was ranked third in 2009, fell to sixth place in 2010.

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