CHAPTER 5
Main
of origin
new
asylum-seekers
Figure countries
18 | Main countries
of for
origin
for new
asylum-seekers | 2007-2016, (in thousands)
2007 - 2016, (in thousands)
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
50
150
’14
’15
300
’16
Afghanistan
Albania
250
Colombia
Côte d'Ivoire
DR of the Congo
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Iran (Islamic Rep. of)
Iraq
Myanmar
Pakistan
Russian Federation
Serbiaa
Somalia
Syrian Arab Rep.
Ukraine
Zimbabwe
a
Serbia and Kosovo: S/RES/1244 (1999)
As in the previous year, the third most common
country of origin for asylum applications was Iraq
with 185,100 claims, a decrease from 2015 (209,200).
As with applications from Afghans, Germany
replaced Turkey as the country that received the
most asylum applications from Iraqis. Germany
received 96,100 such claims – three times the
previous year – and Turkey received 28,800, half the
number recorded in 2015. Unlike in previous years,
Jordan and Syria recorded Iraqi claims for asylum,
with 8,900 and 8,300, respectively. Elsewhere,
Bulgaria received 5,200 claims, followed by Greece
(4,800). The rates for Iraqis were also variable. While
in Turkey, Jordan, and Syria the Total Protection Rate
was close to universal, it was far lower in many
European countries: In Germany it was 77 per cent,
while in Bulgaria it was 21 per cent.
Iranians formed the next largest group submitting
claims for asylum in 2016, with 61,900 new
individual claims compared with 43,500 in 2015.
Germany received the most claims with 26,400,
followed by Turkey (12,100), the United Kingdom
UNHCR > GLOBAL TRENDS 2016
(4,800), Australia (3,000), and Austria (2,400). The
Total Protection Rate for Iranians was 60 per cent in
Germany and 44 per cent in the United Kingdom.
Australia and Austria all had higher protection rates
for Iranians, greater than 80 per cent.
The fifth most common nationality was the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, with 60,700 asylum
applications. Significant numbers of such claims also
were received from people from Pakistan (58,500),
Eritrea (57,400), Nigeria (56,300), El Salvador (42,900),
and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (34,200).
The Venezuelan numbers are notable because of the
more than threefold increase over 2015, when there
were 10,200 claims; the numbers from El Salvador
also doubled.
In contrast, applicants from the Balkans markedly
decreased. While there were 68,200 claims from
Albanians and 66,100 claims from people from
Serbia and Kosovo: S/RES/1244(1999) 61 in 2015, by
the end of 2016 these numbers declined to 30,100
and 18,800, respectively.
43