The largest influx of asylum-seekers in 20 years

A large proportion are refugees from the civil war in Syria

Sep 18, 2014

Denmark is currently dealing with the largest number of asylum-seekers for 20 years.

According to Jyllands-Posten, 2,000 people applied for asylum in Denmark in August. And so far in September, there have been 100 new cases on average every day.

Exceeding the maximum limit
By the end of 2014, there may be up to 14,000 new asylum-seekers in the country, TV2 reports.

The number far exceeds the maximum of 10,000 that Karen Hækkerup, the minister of justice, expected earlier this year.

Opening new asylum centre
To help the overcrowded centre in Sandholm, the police are opening a new asylum centre at Station Amager.

The centre will take care of the registrations of refugees coming to Denmark via Kastrup Airport and other asylum-seekers in Copenhagen, the National Police's communications adviser, Thomas Kristensen, told Jyllands-Posten.

Record numbers of people fleeing
According to Ann Mary Olsen, the international director at the Danish Refugee Council, more than 51 million people are fleeing across the world – the highest number in transit since World War II.

"For the first time in world history, the UN considers four of the world's humanitarian crises in the most serious category: Syria, Iraq, Southern Sudan and the Central African Republic," Olsen told TV2.

It is especially refugees from the civil war in Syria who are seeking asylum in Denmark.

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