Over 38,000 people made a first application for asylum in the Netherlands last year, and some 10,000 close relatives joined people who had been granted official refugee status, national statistics agency CBS said on Thursday.

The number of new arrivals is up 8% on 2022, but still well below government estimates, while the number of family members fell 7%.  Early last year ministers suggested that more than 76,000 people could apply for asylum in the Netherlands in 2023.

That forecast led to crisis talks and calls for measures to reduce the flow of new arrivals, following chaotic scenes when hundreds of people were forced to sleep outdoors in 2022.

The cabinet eventually fell at the start of July after ministers failed to agree on measures to reduce the number of family members applying to join partners and parents. 

Most refugees came from Syria (13,000 applications), followed by Turkey (almost 2,900), Eritrea (over 2,300) and Yemen (2,000). Three in four applications were made by a man and most were under the age of 35, the CBS said.

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The figures are in line with those published by the IND in early December. Meanwhile some 42,000 refugees and 26,000 family members are living in refugee accommodation and waiting to hear if their asylum applications will be granted, the immigration service said last month.

The CBS figures are published as controversial new legislation aimed at ensuring refugees are spread more fairly around the country comes into effect. Research by RTL Nieuws found that one third of the Netherlands’ 342 local authorities have not provided any accommodation for refugees in the past 12 years.

Under the terms of the “spreading law”, Amsterdam will be required to house a total of 4,479 refugees, some 500 more than it does at present. That includes 380 youngsters and children in the Netherlands without parents.

Rotterdam will need to house 2,667 refugees, The Hague 2,513 and Utrecht 1,988. The Wadden island of Schiermonnikoog should provide homes for just five.

One local authority – Westland near Groningen, where much of the horticultural industry is located – has already said it will not accept any refugees. The council, which has not provided any accommodation for asylum seekers since 2010, should come up with 702 places, of which 60 would be for minors.

The council argues it is already providing housing for people from Ukraine and people who have come to the Netherlands to work in the greenhouses, the NRC reported. Nor is there any local support to provide refugee accommodation, Peter Duijssens of local party Westland Verstandig told a council meeting to discuss the issue on Wednesday night.

The legislation gives the government the power to intervene if councils don’t meet their commitments. The 12 provinces have until November 1 to present their plans.