Comparison · Denmark
Return migration & Denmark
Denmark made a political paradigm shift in 2015 with stricter asylum policy, return requirements and the ‘paradigm agreement 2019’. What was the outcome — and how does actual emigration from Sweden look?
Sources: Statistics Denmark, Ministry of Immigration and Integration, SCB, Eurostat.
Asylum applications DK vs SE
Number of asylum applications per year. Note the 2015 peak and Denmark’s early tightening.
| Year | Danmark | Sverige | SE/DK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 14 815 | 81 301 | 5.5× |
| 2015 | 21 315 | 162 877 | 7.6× |
| 2016 | 6 266 | 28 939 | 4.6× |
| 2018 | 3 559 | 21 502 | 6.0× |
| 2020 | 1 547 | 12 991 | 8.4× |
| 2022 | 4 613 | 17 416 | 3.8× |
| 2024 | 2 330 | 6 240 | 2.7× |
Refugee employment after 5/10 years
Danish figures per DST, Swedish per SCB STATIV — definitions are comparable but not identical.
| Country | After 5 yrs | After 10 yrs | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danmark | 56 % | 66 % | Danmarks Statistik 2024 |
| Sverige | 38 % | 50 % | SCB STATIV 2024 |
Registered emigration from Sweden 2024
SCB Population statistics. Share = emigrants as share of residents from the region. Large differences — Nordics and EU citizens emigrate most often.
| Region | Emigrants 2024 | Share of residents |
|---|---|---|
| Nordics | 14 200 | 4.2 % |
| Other EU | 18 400 | 5.1 % |
| Europe outside EU | 5 300 | 2.4 % |
| Asia (incl. Middle East) | 8 600 | 1.6 % |
| Africa | 2 100 | 0.9 % |