Interestingly, when you break down the data by nationality, the bump of applicants aged 16 from Afghanistan is particularly noticeable. There
are about seven or eight times more 16-year-old refugees from Afghanistan than from Syria; the ages of those applying to stay in Sweden from
Syria and Iraq are more evenly spread.
Bali believes that news of the benefits of presenting yourself as under 18 has filtered back to Afghans on their way to Europe. So do some
young men lie about their age?
"We don't check for age so we can't prove that," says Bali.
"But in Nordic [countries]… a very big amount of those who are tested do not have the correct age. Some friends of mine, who have taken care
of these unaccompanied refugees, are saying, 'We took care of one kid, and we found out he was about 28 years old.'"
The idea of carrying out medical tests to determine the age of asylum seekers is controversial but there is a growing consensus among
politicians that Sweden needs to be more rigorous in checking the age of young migrants.
Long term, the gender imbalance in the group of people who are currently 16 and 17 may shrink. As refugees under 18 can invite their
immediate family to join them, it's possible that their sisters will one day also travel to Sweden.