Does the United States accept asylum seekers at higher rates than other countries?
Forty-nine countries accept more asylees and refugees than the U.S., according to United Nations data compiled by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Cato looked at the net increase in admitted applicants relative to population between 2012 and 2017. "The average rate of acceptance for the top 50 countries was 1.2% of its population—six times higher than the U.S. rate," Cato noted.
The U.N. in 2019 counted 4.2 million asylum-seekers worldwide. The U.S. accepted 301,000 new applications for asylum, the largest number of any country in absolute terms. Peru, with a tenth of the U.S.'s population, accepted 259,800 new claims, ranking second in absolute terms.
Advocates argue the U.S. should allow in many more displaced people, citing both economic benefits and enhanced national security, fostering positive views amid extremist claims about U.S. power.
