Sweden Almost Triples Refugee Estimates as System Buckles
- Costs to deal with inflow to more than double through 2019
- Sweden lacks as many as 45,000 housing spots this year
Eritrean refugees board a plane heading for Sweden at Ciampino airport in Rome.
Photographer: Alvaro Padilla/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Sweden is being overwhelmed in its efforts to absorb a record number of asylum seekers looking for refuge inside its borders.
The country’s migration agency on Thursday raised its forecast to as many as 190,000 people arriving this year and 170,000 people in 2016. The agency warned costs will rise to 60 billion kronor ($7 billion) next year, double its earlier forecast, and reach about 70 billion kronor annually through 2019.