Need of protection in Belgium: an historical increase of refugee status granted in 2014

In a press release published on 6 January 2015, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons has announced that the number of people in need of protection and being recognized the refugee status has greatly increased in 2014

Logo Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons and

Dirk Van den Bulk, Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, whose mandate has been renewed mid-December for five more years as the head of the Office, declared that "the number of asylum seekers who have been granted the refugee status in Belgium in 2014 has dramatically increased".

Almost half of asylum applications (46.8%) have been positively answered by the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons.

As for the Commissioner General, this is to be explained by the seriousness of the conflicts and situation of warfare at stake across the world. The main countries of origin of asylum seekers in Belgium in 2014 were Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Guinea.

Read the full press release and know more about the statistics of asylum in Belgium for the year 2014 (in French).

Access detailed asylum statistics for the year 2014 and statistics overview of preivous years here.