Number seeking asylum here falls 32% to just 2,200

The number of people seeking asylum in Ireland last year fell by almost a third.

Figures provided by the EU show 2,235 non-Irish nationals applied for asylum here in 2016 — down 1,035 cases or 32% on the previous year.

At 473 applicants per million inhabitants, Ireland has one of the smaller ratios of asylum seekers to population — just one fifth of the EU average of 2,360. Overall Ireland took just 0.2% of all asylum seekers in the EU last year. The Republic’s population accounts for 0.9% of all EU citizens.