The number of people seeking asylum in the Netherlands dropped significantly in 2011. The total number of new requests for official refugee status was 11,590. The figure for 2010 was nearly 2,000 higher, at 11,590. That’s a decline from 2010 to 2011 of approximately 13 percent.

The figures are the result of an analysis conducted by the ANP press agency and the Sargasso weblog of official asylum data provided by Statistics Netherlands.

It’s the second sizeable fall in new asylum applications in a row, after 2010 showed a drop of around 11 percent compared to 2009.

In total, however, asylum applications in 2011 amounted to 14,630 - a drop of three percent compared to the preceding year. This figure includes second and third requests for asylum.

(tpf/imm)

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