Immigration into the European Union has reached a historic high, according to a study from the private economic research institute Rockwool Foundation (RF), which was reported by the “Münchner Merkur”. The analysis shows that by 2025, the number of residents born abroad is projected to reach 64.2 million, representing an increase of approximately 2.1 million compared to the previous year. For comparison, the total number was only 40 million in 2010. Germany stands out as the main country of destination, with 18 million residents born abroad. Tommaso Frattini, Director of the RF research center and professor of economics at the University of Milan, told the “Münchner Merkur” that this figure is noteworthy both in absolute numbers and relative to the country’s population.
However, Frattini cautioned that the overall picture is uneven, noting that migration is concentrated in a small number of countries, and the relative population distribution across the EU varies significantly. Data from the European Union’s Statistical Office (Eurostat) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) illustrated this. For instance, Spain demonstrated the fastest recent growth, with the number of residents born abroad rising by about 700,000 to a total of 9.5 million.
Furthermore, the study suggests that smaller nations like Luxembourg, Malta, and Cyprus face comparatively higher proportions of migration relative to their population size. These smaller countries have often played a proportionally larger role in accommodating refugees relative to their own population. Christian Dustmann, Director of RF Berlin, pointed out a key finding: the composition of countries of origin for asylum applicants in Europe is uneven. Specifically, Germany primarily hosts conflict-related asylum seekers, such as those from Syria and Afghanistan, whereas Spain features a high proportion from Latin America, and Italy and France show more diverse patterns in their sources of migrants.
