The UK is set to impose some of Europe’s toughest asylum laws – but how does it really compare to the continent?
The UK government has unveiled plans for a radical overhaul of its asylum system, as immigration continues to dominate the political agenda.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood proposals are facing fierce backlash, having been described by her own Labour MPs as “performatively cruel”.
Under the new rules, refugee status will become temporary – lasting just 30 months instead of the current five years – and will be revoked once it is deemed safe for the individual to return home.
The UK will also revoke its legal duty to support asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, and will seize assets and income from asylum seekers to contribute to the cost of their support.
With Britain’s asylum policy set to become one of the toughest in Europe, The Independent takes a look at how the current UK statistics really compare to the rest of Europe – and the policies behind the numbers.
Data shows that the UK receives far fewer asylum seekers than comparable European countries in proportion to population size.
Per 100,000 people in 2024, the UK came fifth for most applicants (156) after Spain (340), Germany (275), Italy (256) and France (191). The EU average last year was 203 per 100,000 people.
The UK is now seeking to emulate reforms carried out by in Denmark by Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen after she was elected in 2019. Two years earlier, the two nations were on a level pegging, proportionally speaking.
Denmark received 57 applications per 100,000 people on average, and the UK 55. Since the 2019 measures came into force, the UK has seen its number treble to 156 per 100,000, while Denmark’s numbers fell in the same period.
However the two situations are not entirely comparable; the overall numbers of applicants is significantly lower in Denmark, both before and after the change in policy.
Denmark had an average of 4,215 in the three years leading up to its 2019 reforms, while the UK saw significantly figures between 50,000 and 100,000 during the same period.
Data from last year also shows that the UK rejected more asylum applicants than its European neighbours last year.
The UK rejected 44,433 (52.9 per cent) of the 84,049 applicants who received a decision in 2024, compared to the EU average of 48.6 per cent.
This was a huge decline from 2023, however, when 69.0 per cent of the 91,811 asylum applicants in the UK were granted protection.
