A recent study indicates that the number of migrants residing in the European Union (EU) is expected to hit a record high of 64.2 million by 2025.
Conducted by RF Berlin’s Center for Migration Research and Analysis, this study highlights a significant rise in foreign-born individuals in the EU, increasing from roughly 40 million in 2010 to over 64 million by 2025. Data from Eurostat and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) formed the basis of this analysis.
The study predicts that the foreign-born population across the EU will grow by about 2.1 million from 2024 to 2025. While this represents a decrease from the 2.6 million increase noted previously, it’s still considered “high by historical standards.”
“Immigration in the European Union has reached unprecedented levels. The foreign-born population has expanded significantly in the past 15 years, showcasing both ongoing migration trends and responses to recent major displacements,” the research noted.
Germany stands out as the primary destination for these migrants, with the number of foreign-born residents increasing from 10 million in 2018 to nearly 18 million by 2025. Although Germany retains its lead, Spain, which is currently implementing a mass amnesty for 500,000 undocumented immigrants, has the fastest-growing immigrant population, adding around 700,000 foreign-born residents in 2025. This puts Spain’s total at approximately 9.5 million.
The study indicates that Spain will account for roughly a third of the entire foreign-born population growth in the EU by 2025.
In terms of asylum applications submitted across the EU, the study found that 669,365 applications were made in 2026, marking a 26.6 percent decline compared to 2024. Together, Germany, Spain, Italy, and France represented nearly three-quarters of all asylum applications last year, revealing distinctive profiles for the countries of origin.
In Germany, for instance, 53% of first-instance asylum seekers hailed from Afghanistan, Syria, and Türkiye. Spain’s applicants primarily come from Venezuela (60%), with 11% from Mali. Italy sees about half of its applicants from Bangladesh, Peru, Egypt, and Pakistan, while in France, the variety is broader—Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, and Haiti compose 36% of applicants.
Germany also leads the EU with the largest refugee population, estimated at 2.7 million, while Cyprus has the highest proportion of refugees relative to its overall population. In contrast, Italy has one of the lowest ratios of refugees within the EU. Tommaso Frattini, one of the authors of the report, remarked, “Germany continues to be the leading destination for migrants in Europe, both in absolute numbers and relative to its population.”
