The 28 countries of the European Union granted protective status to 710,400 asylum seekers in 2016, including 389,670 grants of refugee status, according to Eurostat data.
This is nearly double compared to 2015, when 333,350 people received a positive response from the authorities, which already represented a significant increase (+72% compared to 2014).
The recognition rate, in other words, the share of positive decisions in the total number of returns, stood at 61% for first-instance decisions in the EU. Recognition rates in the EU ranged between less than 5% for citizens of Western Balkan countries and 98% for Syrians.
In fact, Syrians are the most represented nationality, with 405,600 people placed under protection in 2016, which is more than half (57%) of all beneficiaries.
Germany is by far the primary host country for Syrians in 2016, with more than three-quarters (72%) registered there. Finally, Iraqis (9%), Afghans (9%), and Eritreans (5%) are the most represented nationalities after Syrians, with their three countries being scenes of military conflicts.
Once again, Germany is by far the European country that has hosted the most, with 445,210 people granted protective status, accounting for nearly two-thirds (64%) of the effort made by the 28 EU countries in 2016. It is also the country whose grants have increased the most, having more than tripled compared to 2015, where 148,215 asylum requests resulted in a positive decision.
Among the most welcoming countries, Sweden ranks second with 69,350 grants of protective status in 2016, which is twice as many as the previous year. In proportion to its population, Sweden leads before Germany, with 7,040 people under protection per 1 million inhabitants. Conversely, Poland is the country that has approved the fewest asylum applications in proportion to its population, with only 10 people under protective status per 1 million inhabitants.
As for France, it placed 35,170 asylum seekers under protection (+35%), according to Eurostat, and 36,553 including minors in the calculation, according to the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA). More than half of these positive decisions concern the granting of refugee status (55%), and more than a third, the granting of subsidiary protection (37%). According to OFPRA, more than a quarter of requests (29%) result in a protection measure, rising to 38% when including decisions made on appeal.
As a result, France is the fourth European country to place the most asylum seekers under protection, behind Italy and ahead of Austria. Yet, in proportion to its population, France drops to 13th place out of 28, with only 525 migrants placed under protection per 1 million inhabitants.
When including Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, France falls another three places. Conversely, Austria (3rd), Belgium (6th), and Finland (7th) are much more welcoming from this perspective.
