Statistically correct asylum data: prospects and limitations

The first part summarizes UNHCR's role in the collection of asylum statistics, highlighting the organization's experience in implementing the UN recommendations. The second part uses period-based asylum statistics to illustrate recent trends in asylum migration in Europe.

In part three of the paper, the availability and usefulness of period-based statistics are considered by examining the various measures and indicators available to study the asylum process. A comparison is made between a period- and cohort-based analysis, using data from the United Kingdom. The paper concludes that while cohort-based data may provide some valuable insights in the asylum procedure, period-based information remains essential to monitor current international trends.