A sharp drop in successful asylum applications in Denmark means the country now has one of the lowest approval rates in the European Union. Only 26% of the submitted applications were successful in the second quarter of 2017, down from 82% in the same period in 2016. According to Eurostat data, only Bulgaria and the Czech Republic had lower figures, while the EU 28 average is at 46%. According to local media, Denmark’s immigration services said the low approval rating was caused by a high number of Iranian, Afghan and stateless seekers applications.