Shocking shift: Eritreans top asylum applications in the Netherlands while Syrians decline
For the first time since 2016, Eritrean citizens have become the largest group of new asylum seekers in the Netherlands, surpassing Syrians, according to the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) based on data from the Immigration and Naturalization Service for the months of April, May, and June.
The number of asylum applications submitted by Eritreans has increased significantly, jumping from 235 applications in the first quarter to 1,200 applications in the second quarter, an increase of five times.
Amnesty International reported that many Eritrean youth are fleeing the country to escape mandatory national service, which has no fixed duration. The United Nations has previously described this service as a form of forced labor.
In contrast, the number of asylum applications submitted by Syrians has been continuously decreasing since the end of 2024, after the fall of the Assad regime. During the same period, only 595 Syrians applied for asylum, a decrease of 37% compared to the previous quarter, and 78% compared to the same period last year.
In total, 5,300 people applied for asylum in the Netherlands during the second quarter of this year, representing a 17% increase compared to the first quarter, but still 32% lower than the second quarter of 2024. Children made up a third of the applicants, while 64% of Eritrean asylum seekers were under the age of 18.
These figures include only first asylum applications and do not include family reunification requests. During the second quarter, 3,700 family reunification applications were submitted, a number similar to the previous quarter. Syrians made up the vast majority of these applications, accounting for three-quarters of the total number.