Share of female and male asylum applications in the EU-28

Between 2014 and 2016, more men than women applied for asylum across the EU-28 (Figure 1), but with differences across age groups. There are interesting variations in the ratio of male to female applicants between EU Member States (Figure 2). Given the current complexity of migration flows and the variety of individual reasons for seeking asylum in particular countries, further research is necessary to make inferences about the reasons. On asylum decisions, Eurostat reports that in 2014, close to half (45%) of EU-28 first-instance asylum decisions resulted in positive outcomes, that is grants of refugee or subsidiary protection status, or an authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons. For final decisions, the share of positive outcomes was lower, at 18%. Gender-disaggregated data (Figure 3) shows that recognition rates in general and by sex varied widely, warranting further research.