By the Numbers: Refugee Statistics
Refugee statistics: 1989 - 2010 [PDF]
Overview
These statistics provide a comprehensive overview of Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) decisions during the past 20 years. The chart below provides the following information:
- The annual number of refugee claims accepted from 1989 to 2010.
- The annual acceptance rate of refugee claimants.
- The number of refugee claims made in each year.
- The number of refugees refused in each year.
- The number of refugee claims that were abandoned and withdrawn in each year.
- The number of claims finalized in each year.
- The number of claims left pending at the end of the year.
Acceptance Rates
Refugee acceptance rates have largely remained consistent at 40-45% for most years. The current acceptance rate of 38 percent in 2010 is the lowest in the history of the IRB.
In recent years, Canada’s acceptance rates have generally been higher than acceptance rates in other industrialized countries. However, comparisons between Canada and other countries can be misleading since other countries offer forms of refugee protection not included in refugee statistics. For instance, many European countries prefer to offer temporary forms of asylum instead permanent protection granted under the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
Refugee Flows
Refugee flows to Canada in the 1990s largely remained stable, at around 25,000 new claims per year. In 2001, Canada experienced its largest flow of refugee claimants - almost 44,000 claimants. After the events of September 11, there was a drastic decline in the number of asylum seekers—not just in Canada, but in all developed countries.
Since 2001, Canadian refugee flows have been up and down and in the most recent years, the flow of refugee claimants has undergone dramatic changes. There were around 34,000 new claims made in 2009 before dropping to just over 22,000 new claims in 2010. The sudden drop in claims is a result of Canadian visa policies, notably visa restrictions on Mexico and the Czech Republic. For instance, in 2009 there were over 9,000 claimants from Mexico, but just over 1,000 in 2010.
Top Ten Refugee Source Countries
These statistics also identify Canada’s top ten source countries for each year. The top ten source country statistics indicate that there is no consistent correlation between volume of claims and acceptance rates. Some high volume countries, such as Hungary, have low acceptance rates while others, such as Sri Lanka, have traditionally high acceptance rates.