Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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minors who arrived in 2015 were Afghan116 and may have been drawn to Sweden by friends
or extended family among substantial existing Afghan communities. For Afghan children and
families, officials in Sweden believe that migration has become something of a development
strategy. Faced with ongoing violence and a lack of economic opportunities at home, families
may choose to send an older child to find employment in Europe, and particularly Sweden, in
hopes of supporting family at home with remittances.117 Strong protection frameworks for
minors in Sweden mean that unaccompanied children are more likely to be allowed to stay in
the country, making them a better investment for families choosing who to send abroad. The
increase in violence in Afghanistan and other origin countries over the last year has made the
choice to send a child abroad a more compelling one for many families and for the children
themselves.
The large number of unaccompanied minors, and the substantial share of men among the
most recent arrivals, has had a clear impact on Sweden’s demographics, effects of which will
continue to be felt for years to come. The increase in the youth population in Sweden has been
the most noticeable effect. In 2015, the number of asylum applications from 14 to 17 year olds
represented a nearly 9 percent increase in Sweden’s population within the same age range.
Most of the older youth arriving have been male, and the effects are thus even more
pronounced among older boys (a 15 percent increase among male 14 to 17 year olds).118
Moreover, the Swedish statistics office reported in March that the country now has a majority
male population for the first time since 1749; while changing birth and life expectancy
patterns are the primary driver of this shift, the larger share of men among new arrivals has
also played a role.119
This demographic change has had—and will continue to have—a noticeable impact on social
services. Secondary schools in communities that took in a large number of unaccompanied
minors have been particularly affected by the growing youth population. And in Malmö, for
example, health authorities have reported that the influx of unaccompanied minors and
children has unexpectedly increased the demand for pediatric services in the region at the
same time as regional authorities were preparing to serve an aging population.120 The result is
a resource crunch where county authorities are facing growing needs at both ends of the age
spectrum.
Acceptance rates for asylum applicants
Because asylum claims are adjudicated on an individual basis in Sweden, rather than accorded
protection on a prima facie basis, a substantial share of arrivals each year in fact see their
claims denied. Applications for protection in Sweden are adjudicated and granted on an
individual basis. The likelihood of being granted protection varies substantially based on the
nationality and other characteristics of the individual making the claim (if an individual is a
member of a persecuted minority group, for example). On average, in the last two years
116 Eurostat, “Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex Annual data (rounded)
[migr_asyunaa],” updated June 5, 2016,
117 Interview with Eva Akerman-Borje, Swedish Ministry of Justice, April 11, 2016
118 Eurostat, “Population on 1 January by age and sex [demo_pjan],” updated April 22, 2016,
; and Eurostat, “Asylum and first time asylum applicants
by citizenship, age and sex Annual aggregated data (rounded) [migr_asyappctza],” updated March 18, 2016,
119 Statistics Sweden, “Men now outnumber women,” updated March 27, 2015,
and-press-releases/Container-for-news-and-press-releases/Men-now-outnumber-women1/
120 Interview with Christina Stahl, Director for Patient Questions, Department for Health, Region Skane, April 14, 2016