Malta had the highest number of applications for asylum per capita last year, according to data issued by Eurostat.

Eurostat that there were a total 301,000 asylum applicants1 registered in the EU27 in 2011, around 90 per cent of whom were new.

The main countries of citizenship were Afghanistan, Russia, Pakistan, Iraq and Serbia.

Numerically, the highest number of applicants was registered in France (56,300 applicants), followed by Germany (53,300), Italy (34,100), Belgium (31,900), Sweden (29,700), the United Kingdom (26,400), the Netherlands (14,600), Austria (14,400), Greece (9,300) and Poland (6,900).

These 10 states accounted for more than 90 per cent of applicants registered in the EU27.

But compared to the population, the highest rates of applicants registered was recorded in Malta (4,500 applicants per million inhabitants), followed by Luxembourg (4,200), Sweden (3,200), Belgium (2,900) and Cyprus (2,200).

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