Asylum countries of origin: Introduction

The facts and figures behind the top ten countries by applicant for asylum in the UK in 2002.

These pages aim to help explain the motivations of those who arrive in the UK. They explain the social conditions in the top ten countries of departure in 2002. Click on the links to find out more.

The number of people seeking asylum in the UK rose by 20% in 2002 to hit a record 110,700.

More than 9,000 people a month claimed asylum in 2002, with the peak coming in the last three months of the year.

In absolute terms, the UK received the largest number of applications - 52,000 more than the next most popular destination, France.

But as a percentage, the UK had 1.8 applications for asylum per 1,000 of population - putting it eighth in the EU list.

Under agreements undertaken with the United Nations the UK is obliged to offer a safe haven to refugees.

A refugee is defined by the UN as someone who, "owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable or, owing to such fear, unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country".

Many asylum seekers do not choose their country of asylum: Where they end up can depend on how quickly they flee and by what means.

But of those that do choose a destination, the UNHCR says that asylum seekers are most swayed by the presence of more of their own community in a foreign state, rather than presumed state benefits or reception standards.

Not all asylum seekers are fleeing persecution. A number are economic migrants who come to the UK in the hope of finding work. They may use the asylum system because they cannot enter the UK by another method.

What is impossible to establish, however, is how many asylum seekers have genuine claims as the statistics are extremely difficult to interpret due to the way the appeals process is organised.