The granting of asylum in Denmark became easier after a new law, the Aliens Act of 1983, was passed. Since then numbers have boomed. In the 28 years from 1956 to 1984 Denmark received a total of 14,374 refugees.
But with the 1983 act in place, nearly 100,000 potential refugees arrived in the next 14 years, and another 39,000 applied for asylum at Danish embassies from 1990 to 98.
About 60 per cent of applicants for refugee status succeed. This has placed a considerable strain on Denmark, which has a population similar to Ireland's, of around five million.
A homogeneous country has been transformed into a multicultural society in less than 20 years.
Latest statistics show there were 256,267 foreign inhabitants with residence rights last year, not counting those non-Danes who have been naturalised. Most of the recent arrivals are Lebanese, stateless Palestinians, Iraqis, Iranians, Sri Lankans, Somalis and people from former Yugoslavia.
This sudden change has created both lively debate and entrenched positions, some xenophobic, some politically correct.
Until recently few people have dared to criticise the development, fearing accusations of racism. But a change has been reflected in the public opinion polls. The most significant indicator is that the Danish Popular Party (which has one major message: "There are too many foreigners in Denmark") has almost doubled its vote since 1998, from 7 to 13.5 per cent. Balancing the DPP to some extent is the Danish Committee for Refugees, a private humanitarian organisation which is very influential.
The main issue at the moment is whether there should be a limit on how many non-nationals the country is able to absorb, and to what extent the newcomers should integrate into Danish society. Denmark also grants asylum on demand to a certain quota of refugees requested by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The Danish parliament, the Folketing, decides annually how many of this category to accept. In recent years it has been around 500.
The 1983 Aliens Act has been modified to make it harder to succeed in an asylum application, but the public debate in Denmark is far from finished, with some people fearing that the Danes could become a minority in their own country.