STOCKHOLM, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The number of people applying for asylum in Sweden dropped by 30% in 2025 to the lowest level since 1985, with the right-of-centre government saying it planned to further tighten rules this year ahead of an election in September.
The ruling minority coalition, which is supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, has made cutting the number of asylum seekers a key policy platform since taking power in 2022.
It blames a surge in gang crime on decades of loose asylum laws and failed integration measures under previous Social Democrat-led governments.
"The change isn't just about numbers in terms of lower immigration, it's also about the way that's made up, who is coming to Sweden with the proportion from asylum at a record low," Immigration Minister Johan Forssell told reporters.
The number of immigrants, excluding refugees from Ukraine, dropped to 79,684 last year from 82,857 in 2024, figures from the Migration Board showed. Asylum seekers and their family members made up just 6% of the total, compared to 31% in 2018 when total immigration was 133,000.
The number of people either returning voluntarily to another country or expelled by authorities was also up.
"This is an area which is a high priority for us," Forssell said.
The government has cracked down on asylum seekers, made it more difficult to gain residency and citizenship and introduced financial incentives for immigrants to leave the country since it came to power.
Forssell said the government planned to further tighten rules in the coming year including a new law to boost the number of returnees and tighter citizenship rules, among other things.
Swedes will vote in what is expected to be a tight general election in September.
(Reporting by Simon Johnson; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
