A record number of approximately 34,000 Bangladeshi people filed applications for asylum in the countries of the European Union plus in 2022, says the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).
It is the highest number of asylum applications from Bangladeshi citizens since at least 2008. In 2021, the total number of asylum applications from Bangladesh was close to 20,000. However, the recognition rates for asylum seekers from Bangladesh was low at 5 percent or less.
Overall, almost 1 million asylum applications were received by the EU+ countries in 2022 which is 50 percent higher than the number in 2021. This is the highest number of applications for seeking asylum in EU+ countries since 2016.
EU+ countries include all the countries of the European Union (EU) plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The largest number of applications were received from Syrians, Afghans and Turks. According to EUAA, 1.32 lakh people from Syria, 1.29 from Afghanistan and 55,000 people from Turkiye applied for asylum in EU+ countries in 2022. The figures don’t include around 4 million Ukrainian people fleeing the war and seeking temporary asylum.
In 2022, the EU+ asylum authorities issued 6.32 lakh decisions at first instance which is about 20 percent higher compared to 2021. However, the applications increased far more in 2022 compared to last year which was reflected in the largest number of pending cases of asylum applications in EU+ countries since 2015. The EU+ recognition rate was 40 percent in 2022, up by 5 percent compared to 2021. Around 1.47 lakh people were granted refugee status and 1.06 lakh people received subsidiary protection in EU+ countries in 2022.
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