Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Data collection on asylum statistics contains statistical information based on the Article 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.
Asylum applications:
Asylum, first time and subsequent applicants by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Persons subject of asylum applications pending at the end of month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applications withdrawn by citizenship, age, sex and type of withdrawal (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applicants having had their applications processed under the accelerated procedure by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Applicants having benefited from material reception conditions at the end of the reference year;
Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex.
Decisions on asylum applications:
First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted at first instance decision by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors);
Final decisions in appeal or review on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted as final decision in appeal or review by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors).
Resettled persons:
Resettled persons by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and country of previous residence;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and resettlement framework.
In March 2022, the European Commission activated the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC for people from Ukraine seeking refuge.
Temporary protection:
Decisions granting temporary protection by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Beneficiaries of temporary protection at the end of the month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors).
3.2. Classification system
Similar as Eurostat.
See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Migration and asylum – Asylum statistics.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Same definitions as Eurostat.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.5. Statistical unit
Persons.
3.6. Statistical population
Foreigners and stateless persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.7. Reference area
Sweden
3.8. Coverage - Time
Time coverage according to Regulation (EC) No 862/2007, from January 2008, eventually January 2021.
Data on pending asylum applications are not available for February 2008.
See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of persons.
Calendar month, calendar quarter and calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The compilation of Asylum statistics is based on Article 4.1-4.3 of Regulation (EC) 862/2007 which depicts in details the data provisions Sweden are bound to supply Eurostat with.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Statistical confidentiality is guaranteed by law, in chapter 24 article 8 in the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (OSL 2009:400) and article 7 in the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Ordinance (OSF 2009:641). The provision refers specifically to secrecy for the protection of individuals.
All staff at Swedish Migration Agency (SMA) sign legal confidentiality commitments stating that they have taken note of the relevant confidentiality provisions. Breaches of confidentiality are punishable by The Swedish Penal Code (1962:7800) in chapter 20 article 3.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
There are physical, technological and organisational provisions in place to protect the security and integrity of the data at SMA. Organisational provisions are laid out according to the legislation outlined in chapter 24 article 8 OSL and article 7 in OSF. Microdata is protected by absolute confidentiality by above mentioned articles in OSL and OSF. Only authorised staff, and as few as possible, are given access to sensitive data concerning statistical activities. For access to the statistics systems, there is an eligibility model based on process, role and eligibility. In order to meet the legal requirements of the Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the possibility of gaining access to the operational views have been severely limited for the majority of the staff at the agency.
8.1. Release calendar
Not officially presented at national level.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not officially presented at national level.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Not officially presented at national level.
Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not available.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not available.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Not available.
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Not applicable.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not available.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not available.
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not available.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Not applicable.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not available.
11.1. Quality assurance
Not available.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Asylum statistics in Sweden follow the given guidelines given in art. 4.1-4.3 of Regulation (EC) 862/2007.
A new data warehouse has been developed with the aim to significantly increase data quality and data retrieval capabilities.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The statistics collected under Regulation (EC) 862/2007 are used by a wide range of users at national, European and International level to cover various user needs.
Users of asylum statistics:Eurostat, EUAA, Department of Justice, national authorities.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
User satisfaction not collected.
12.3. Completeness
The required disaggregation for all datasets is complete.
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
A new data warehouse has been developed and has significantly increased data quality and data retrieval capabilities.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not applicable.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Sweden is able to report the data at the earliest 2 days after the end of the reference period.
Data is provided to Eurostat within the requested deadlines.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
Data are delivered on time.
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
No problems of comparability between regions in Sweden.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data are comparable over time.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Only differences in some definitions according to guidelines.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Variables pertaining to the individual refer to the most recent registration at the date of data extraction, reporting of the same month can thus vary depending on the date of data extraction.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
No internal incoherence.
Regular statistical reporting and revising to EDAMIS estimated to 20 working days per year. This does not include time to implement changes in guidelines in regular reporting.
Metadata questionnaire estimated to 10 working days involving 2 workers.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Data is revised continuously during the year.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Planned revisions due to improved logic in the database.
Annual data for 2024 revised in August 2025.
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
Data are extracted from the central database of Swedish Migration Agency.
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Daily.
18.3. Data collection
Data is directly registered by operative personnel into the central database. Data is then transformed and retrieved daily by data systems, from which data is extracted and repurposed as csv files.
18.4. Data validation
No such regular national validation process. The act of validation and the extent of it is done at a case-by-case basis as seen fit by the person extracting the data.
18.5. Data compilation
There are many cases of using several variables in conjecture to group data used on national level.
Data collection on asylum statistics contains statistical information based on the Article 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.
Asylum applications:
Asylum, first time and subsequent applicants by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Persons subject of asylum applications pending at the end of month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applications withdrawn by citizenship, age, sex and type of withdrawal (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applicants having had their applications processed under the accelerated procedure by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Applicants having benefited from material reception conditions at the end of the reference year;
Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex.
Decisions on asylum applications:
First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted at first instance decision by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors);
Final decisions in appeal or review on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted as final decision in appeal or review by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors).
Resettled persons:
Resettled persons by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and country of previous residence;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and resettlement framework.
In March 2022, the European Commission activated the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC for people from Ukraine seeking refuge.
Temporary protection:
Decisions granting temporary protection by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Beneficiaries of temporary protection at the end of the month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors).
15 September 2025
Same definitions as Eurostat.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Persons.
Foreigners and stateless persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Sweden
Calendar month, calendar quarter and calendar year.
A new data warehouse has been developed and has significantly increased data quality and data retrieval capabilities.
Number of persons.
There are many cases of using several variables in conjecture to group data used on national level.
Data are extracted from the central database of Swedish Migration Agency.
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly
Sweden is able to report the data at the earliest 2 days after the end of the reference period.
Data is provided to Eurostat within the requested deadlines.
No problems of comparability between regions in Sweden.
Data are comparable over time.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
