A total of 1,588 asylum requests were made in Switzerland last month, 178 fewer than in December 2016, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration said Tuesday.

Representing a 10 percent drop, the agency reported the number of asylum requests made in January this year is also 56 percent lower than the number of applications made over the same period in 2016.

This is mainly due to the near total closure of Balkan migration routes in March last year, it added.

According to statistics, most asylum seekers looking for refuge on Swiss soil last month hailed from Eritrea (335 requests), Syria (113) and Guinea (120).

A further 99 Afghan nationals also sought asylum in the confederation.

A total of 533 people were granted asylum in the country last month, a further 674 were given temporary admission while 568 people left the country or were repatriated.

According to official figures, over 27,200 refugees sought asylum in Switzerland over the course of last year

source: Xinhua