Fewer asylum seekers due to pandemic

A total of 13,720 people applied for asylum in the Netherlands last year, a decrease of nearly 40 percent, Statistics Netherlands reported.

Travel restrictions and limited air travel, especially in the second quarter of 2020, made it difficult for people to reach the Netherlands. In May, asylum applications began to pick up slowly, but fell again in the fourth quarter when restrictions were tightened once more.

Same as in 2018 and 2019, the majority of asylum seekers came from Syria at 30 percent, followed by Algeria and Turkey.