*For more detailed data, consult the Eurostat Database on Migration and Asylum.
**This does not include those born in another Member State.
Foreign-born residents per country
8 393 260for family reasons (34%)
6 448 534for other reasons26%
5 157 584for work21%
3 795 225for asylum (15%)
Source: Eurostat; “other” includes permits issued for the reason of residence only, permits issued to victims of trafficking of human beings and unaccompanied minors, as well as permits issued for all other reasons for which residence permits may be issued and which are not covered by the other categories
Employment of immigrants
In 2024, 12.1 million non-EU citizens were employed in the EU labour market, out of 197.6 million people aged from 20 to 64, corresponding to 6% of the total.
Source: Eurostat
The employment rate in the EU in the working-age population (20-64) was higher for EU citizens (76.8%), than for non-EU citizens (64.2%) in 2023.
Fact to consider: Many non-EU citizens are "essential workers".
Over-represented sectors
In 2022, non-EU citizens were over-represented in some specific economic sectors such as:
| Sector | Employment of non-EU citizens | Employment of EU citizens |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation and food service activities | 11.3% | 4.2% |
| Administrative and support service activities | 7.6% | 3.9% |
| Domestic work | 5.9% | 0.7% |
| Construction | 9.1% | 6.6% |
Over-representation by occupation
In terms of occupations, non-EU citizens were over-represented among:
| Occupational group | Employment of non-EU citizens | Employment of EU citizens |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaners and helpers | 11.4% | 2.9% |
| Personal services workers | 7.3% | 4.1% |
| Personal care workers | 5.5% | 3.0% |
| Construction workers, excluding electricians | 6.1% | 3.7% |
| Workers in mining, construction, manufacturing and transport | 6.0% | 2.5% |
| Food preparation assistants | 2.6% | 0.6% |
| Agricultural, forestry and fishery workers | 2.4% | 0.7% |
Under-represented sectors
Non-EU citizens were under-represented in other economic sectors, including:
| Sector | Employment of non-EU citizens | Employment of EU citizens |
|---|---|---|
| Public administration and defense, compulsory social security | 1.1% | 7.4% |
| Education | 3.9% | 7.6% |
| Human health and social work activities | 8.5% | 11.2% |
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 3.8% | 6.0% |
Under-representation by occupation
On the other hand, non-EU citizens were under-represented among:
| Occupational group | Employment of non-EU citizens | Employment of EU citizens |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching professionals | 2.4% | 5.5% |
| Business and administration associate professionals | 2.6% | 6.8% |
| Clerical and administrative workers | 1.5% | 4.4% |
| Science and engineering associate professionals | 1.7% | 3.5% |
| Business and administration professionals | 2.3% | 4.5% |
| Health professionals | 1.5% | 3.1% |
Source: Eurostat
Refugees in Europe
Displaced people from Ukraine
Since Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Europe has received the largest number of people fleeing war since World War II. For up-to-date details on the efforts to welcome people fleeing the war in Ukraine and to provide temporary protection, see the dedicated page Migration management: Welcoming refugees from Ukraine.
Overall situation
Based on UNHCR data, all around the world there are:
- 37.9 million refugees (figure as of mid-2024).
- 68.3 million internally displaced people (due to conflict and violence) (figure as of the end of 2023).
Fact to consider: At the end of 2021, less than 10% of all the world’s refugees and only a fraction of internally displaced people were living in the EU. By the end of 2022, as a result of the war in Ukraine, the share of refugees living in the EU increased to more than 20%. As of 2024, the share of refugees residing in the EU remained stable compared to 2022, standing at 20%.
The share of refugees in the EU in 2024 was 1.7% compared to its total population.
Number of refugees compared to total population
Several countries around the world host a large refugee population:
Source: UNHCR
Note: The graph shows the ten countries hosting the most refugees and the EU
Fact to consider: The majority of refugees from Africa and Asia do not come to Europe, but rather move to neighbouring countries.
Migration to and from the EU
Based on the latest annual figures (2023)
Note: data for 2022
While irregular migration is often in the spotlight, the reality is that irregular entries account for a small fraction of migration in the EU.
In 2023, over 3.7 million first residence permits were issued in the EU, compared to 3.6 million in 2022, exceeding numbers seen before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic (3.0 million in 2019). The number of first permits issued by Germany, France and Poland slightly increased when compared to 2022. In 2023, there was an important increase in education-related (+14%) permits but the number of permits issued for family (+6%), and other reasons (+5%) also increased year-on-year. In 2023, first permits were issued for the following reasons:
Source: Eurostat; “other” includes permits issued for the reason of residence only, permits issued to victims of trafficking of human beings and unaccompanied minors, as well as permits issued for all other reasons for which residence permits may be issued and which are not covered by the other categories
Top 10 nationalities of first residence permits issued in EU Member States in 2023
Source: Eurostat
Top 15 nationalities of first time asylum applicants (2024)
Source: Eurostat
In 2024, asylum seekers came from around 170 countries.
996,805 applications, including 911,940 first time applications, were lodged in the EU in 2024, a decrease of 12% in comparison to 2023.
A significant share of applicants come from visa-free countries (around 23% of asylum applicants in 2024, up from 22% in 2023, with a high number of applicants from Latin America) who enter the EU legally, mostly from:
Source: Eurostat
In 2024, 252,300 people seeking asylum were under 18 years old – 15% of which (37,600) were unaccompanied minors. Most unaccompanied minors came from Syria, Afghanistan, Egypt and Somalia.
Most first-time applications were lodged in:
- Germany (229,695)
- Spain (164,010)
- Italy (151,120)
- France (130,860)
- Greece (68,995)
Relative to the population, in 2024, the highest number of first-time asylum applications was lodged in:
- Cyprus (730 per 100,000 inhabitants)
- Greece (660)
- Ireland (350)
Recognition of refugees
In 2024, EU countries issued 754,500 first instance asylum decisions. 51% of these decisions were positive:
- 164,900 people received refugee status,
- 155,500 people were granted subsidiary protection status,
- 67,300 people received humanitarian status.
In 2024, at least a further 165,500 final decisions were issued following an appeal, including:
- 20,700 decisions granting refugee status,
- 14,400 granting subsidiary protection status and
- 15,200 granting humanitarian status.
Overall, EU countries granted protection to around 438,000 people in 2024.
Effectiveness of the asylum system
- Fluctuating backlog
At the end of 2024, 1,24 million people were subject of pending asylum applications - 9% more than the previous year. - Varying processing times across Member States
The ratio of pending cases and applications varies widely across Member States, reflecting the differences in processing time.
Number of pending applications compared to total number of applications in a given month
Source: Eurostat
- Varying recognition rates across EU countries
The EU’s asylum system is undermined due to significant differences in recognition rates across EU countries. For example, in 2024 the recognition rate of Afghan citizens at first instance (not including humanitarian status) ranged from 11% in Bulgaria to 98% in Greece (from those Member States that issued at least 100 first instance decisions to Afghan citizens). - Dublin rules in practice
In 2023, Member States reported 184,800 outgoing requests under the Dublin rules sent to other Member States and other countries participating in the Dublin system to take responsibility for examining an application for international protection. Out of 176,400 decisions on such requests, 130,800 (74%) were accepted and 16,900 outgoing transfers were executed, corresponding to 13% of accepted requests.
Resettlement
In 2024, about 14,000 people in need of international protection were resettled from non-EU countries to EU Member States, 1.7% less than in 2023 and 25% less than in 2022.
Syrian nationals accounted for 40% of the people resettled, while Afghan nationals accounted for 17%.
Under joint EU resettlement schemes, Member States reported more than 134,000 people found protection in the EU since 2015. In addition, since 2021, more than 53,000 people, mostly Afghans at risk, arrived to the EU via humanitarian admission. Member States receive support from the EU budget for resettlement and humanitarian admission.*
* These are not official Eurostat data
Irregular border crossings
Overall figures
Irregular EU border crossings by nationality in 2024
Geographical distribution
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| In 2024, there was an increase in irregular crossings on the Eastern Mediterranean route (+14%, 70,000), the Atlantic route (+18%, 46,800) and the Eastern borders route (+200%, 17,300) compared to the same period in 2023. | In 2023 there was an increase in crossings on the Central Mediterranean route (+54%, 162,700), the Atlantic and Western Mediterranean routes (+157%, 39,700 and +12%, 16,900, respectively) and the Eastern Mediterranean route (+57%, 60,800) compared to 2022. | Increase in crossings on the Central Mediterranean (+56%, 105,600), the Eastern Mediterranean(+113%, 43,900) and the Western Balkan routes (+134%, 144,100) compared to 2021. |
| At the same time, there was a decrease in crossings on the Central Mediterranean route (-58%, 66,900) and the Western Balkans route (-78%, 21,500) compared to 2023. | At the same time, there was a decrease in crossings on the Western Balkan route (-31%, 99,000) and the Eastern borders route (-10%, 5,700) compared to 2022. | Decrease in crossings on the Western Mediterranean (including the Atlantic route from Western Africa to the Canary Islands) (-25%, 30,600) and the Eastern borders routes (-22%, 6,300) compared to 2021. |
| Crossings along the Western Mediterranean route (+1%, 17,100) remained stable. | 29% increase of deaths at sea: 3,105 people were reported dead or missing in 2023 on the three Mediterranean routes, compared to 2,411 in 2022. | 18% increase of deaths at sea: 2,411 people were reported dead or missing in 2022 on the three Mediterranean routes, compared to 2,047 in 2021. |
| 2,475 people were reported dead or missing in 2024 on the three Mediterranean routes, compared to 3,105 in 2023. |
Returns
Overall figures
The main countries of nationality of those ordered to leave the EU in 2024 were:
- Algeria (8%)
- Morocco (7%)
- Türkiye (6%)
- Syria (6%)
- Afghanistan (5%)
The main countries of nationality of those ordered to leave the EU in 2023 were:
- Morocco (8%)
- Algeria (8%)
- Afghanistan (6%)
- Syria (5%)
- Türkiye (5%)
In 2024, 107,785 non-EU citizens were returned to a non-EU country (missing data for Portugal in Q4 2024). This corresponds to 24% of all return decisions issued in 2024, increasing from 19% in 2023.
Among the main countries of origin of those returned from the EU in 2024 were:
- Georgia (9%)
- Albania (7%)
- Türkiye (6%)
- Colombia (4%)
- Morocco (4%)
In 2023, 91,465 non-EU citizens were returned to a non-EU country. This corresponds to 19% of all return decisions issued during the year, increasing from 16% in 2022.
Among the main countries of origin of those returned from the EU in 2023 were:
- Georgia (12%)
- Albania (9%)
- Türkiye (7%)
- Moldova (4%)
- Serbia (4%)
In 2024, the share of voluntary returns was 54% of the total number of effective returns. 77% of the total number of effective returns were assisted returns - the people returned received logistical, financial and/ or other material assistance.
In 2023, over 1,700 Member States' consulates received 10.3 million short stay visa applications lodged by non-EU citizens, up from 7.6 million in 2022.
In total, 8.5 million short stay visas were issued and 1.6 million were refused, amounting to an EU-wide refusal rate of 16% (down from 17.9% in 2022).
Most applications were lodged in:
- China (1,117,365)
- Türkiye (1,055,855)
- India (966,687)
- Morocco (591,401)
- Russia (520,387)
Most visa applications were processed by:
- France (2,625,846)
- Germany (1,459,560)
- Spain (1,413,222)
- Italy (1,108,035)
- Netherlands (669,291)
58% of all visas were issued for multiple entries. Short stay visas cover travel throughout the 26 Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Related links
The Atlas on Migration
The Atlas on Migration of the European Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography is an interactive resource of harmonised, up-to-date and validated data on the status of migration and demography in 27 EU Member States and 171 non-EU countries and territories.
European statistics on migration and asylum
Up-to-date European statistics on:
Related information is also available on Eurostat's website.
Eurostat collects data from the National Statistics Authorities of the EU Member States and EFTA countries, based on statistical regulations adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. Data and related metadata are quality assured in line with the European Statistics Code of Practice, and updated at regular intervals depending on the data collection. Statistical findings are published in Statistics Explained articles and other publications.
Disclaimer: The above data is based on latest available information, updated on a quarterly basis, last update: May 2025.