Sweden’s asylum-seeker numbers fell by approximately 30 per cent in 2025 compared to 2024, marking the lowest level of asylum-related immigration in 40 years.
According to figures released by the Swedish Migration Agency and presented by Migration Minister Johan Forssell of the Moderate Party, a total of 6,735 individuals applied for asylum last year, down from 9,645 in 2024.
This represents the continuation of a downward trend that has seen asylum applications drop significantly since the government implemented stricter policies following the 2022 election.
Between 2016 and 2022, the annual average was more than 20,000 asylum seekers, according to the Swedish Government.
The data, unveiled during a press conference today, highlights that asylum-related immigration – encompassing both asylum seekers and their family reunifications – is now at its lowest point since 1985.
Forssell attributed the reduction to a series of measures introduced under the Tidö Agreement, a co-operation pact between the centre-right government and the Sweden Democrats party.
These measures include tougher eligibility criteria, enhanced border controls and incentives for voluntary returns.
Forssell noted that returns were increasing and at the highest level in 10 years.
With 8,312 returns, there was an increase of 60 percent since the government took office in 2022.
“This is a direct result of our paradigm shift in migration policy,” Forssell stated, emphasising that Sweden’s approach contrasts with rising trends in parts of the European Union.
He noted that it was “particularly gratifying” that the voluntary returns are increasing.
In terms of residence permits granted to asylum seekers and their relatives, the figures stood at around 4,500 for 2025, a further indication of tightened processing.
The government also reported a 20 per cent increase in deportations.
All this contributes to net negative migration for the second consecutive year, a phenomenon not seen in Sweden since the 1970s.
Overall immigration, including labour and student visas, has also moderated, with total residence permits issued dropping to below 70,000.
“Today, Sweden is no longer primarily an asylum immigration country, but again a country for labour migration,” Forssell said.
The decline builds on earlier reductions; mid-year data from 2025 showed a 30 per cent drop in applications during the first half compared to the same period in 2024, largely due to new prescriptive rules and international co-operation on migration routes.
Henrik Hall, a co-ordinator for the Christian Democrats party said: “The government’s policy continues to deliver results.”
The government has stated it plans to introduce additional legislation in 2026 to further streamline deportations and enhance integration requirements, aiming to maintain the downward trajectory.
Projections from Statistics Sweden suggest that overall immigration will hover around 80,000 annually in the coming years, with a gradual rise to 100,000 by the 2030s, although asylum figures are expected to remain low.
Ukrainian refugees who have been granted protection under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive are not included in the asylum statistics.
Sweden’s Supreme Court has ruled that a teenager, born in Sweden, can be deported to Gambia following his murder conviction. https://t.co/st7agSViEi
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) April 23, 2025
