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EU migrant numbers hit record 64 million in 2025 — report

A new report shows the number of foreign-born residents in the EU reached a record 64.2 million in 2025, up 2.1 million from 2024. Germany remains the top host country with 18 million residents, while Spain saw the fastest growth, adding 700,000 in a year.

By Tertius News AI Desk 3 outlets · 3 articles Version 1 Coverage Apr 22, 2026 Published Aug 14

Lead

The European Union saw its foreign-born population reach a new record of 64.2 million in 2025, according to a report by the Centre for Research and Analysis on Migration at RFBerlin. The figure represents an increase of about 2.1 million compared with 2024, continuing a long-term upward trend that has seen the total climb from 40 million in 2010. Data for the report, released on Wednesday, draws on figures from Eurostat and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Coverage Comparison

Reports of the findings appeared across several outlets, including Deutsche Welle (DW), RFI, and TASS. While all three rely on the same underlying report and agree on the headline numbers, they differ slightly in their framing and additional details. DW and RFI both attribute the research to RFBerlin’s Centre for Research and Analysis on Migration, while TASS describes the source as a Berlin branch of the Danish non-profit Rockwool Foundation, which also matches the general institutional heritage. The three sources are generally consistent in their reporting, though DW includes an additional figure on asylum applications that is not mentioned by the others.

Key Figures

The report’s central finding is that the EU’s foreign-born population hit 64.2 million in 2025, up from 62.1 million the previous year. This growth continues a pattern of sustained increase: the total has risen by roughly 60% since 2010, when the EU hosted about 40 million foreign-born residents.

Germany lead in absolute numbers. According to the report, Germany remains the largest host country, with close to 18 million foreign-born residents. That represents an increase of roughly 70% over the past 15 years, from about 10 million in 2010. The DW coverage notes that immigrants account for about 21.2% of Germany’s population, and 72% of these residents are of working age. Germany also hosts 2.7 million refugees, the largest refugee population in the EU.

Spain emerges as fastest-growing hub. Spain has the most substantial recent increase of any member state, adding about 700,000 foreign-born residents in the past year, to reach a total of 9.5 million. This represents an 8% growth rate, more than double the EU average of 3.4%. Spain’s growth accounted for about one-third of the total EU increase in 2025, pointing to a southward shift in migration patterns within the bloc.

High proportions in small states. Relative to population size, Luxembourg posted the highest share of foreign-born residents at around 52%, followed by Malta at 32% and Cyprus at 28%. These figures are well above the EU average, which stands at 14%. Ireland and Austria also have above-average shares at 23%, while at the other end, Lithuania, Hungary, and Romania all record below 10%. Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Poland each host below 5%.

Asylum applications fell. A figure from the report cited by DW indicates that asylum applications decreased by 26.6% in 2025, to a total of 669,365. This represents an extension of previous declines and is presented as a sign of changing migration patterns. The figure was not mentioned in the other available reports, leaving it unverified by additional sources.

Refugee shares vary by country. Another single-source figure comes from TASS, which noted that Cyprus has the highest share of refugees relative to its population at 4.8%. The same article pointed out that Poland, despite being the second-largest refugee host with about 1 million refugees, has the lowest migrant share of any EU member at under 5%. This discrepancy is explained by the nature of refugees as a subset of the foreign-born population.

Perspectives

The report has been interpreted through different lenses across the coverage:

Economic pull (RFI/DW): Both European broadcasters highlight the role of the EU’s economic stability and employment opportunities in attracting migrants. They stress the active integration of foreign-born workers into labour markets, with 72% of Germany’s immigrant population of working age. This perspective frames the record numbers as evidence of the bloc’s appeal as a destination.

Regional dynamics (TASS): TASS places emphasis on the varying trends among member states, contrasting the saturation in Germany and liberal growth in Spain with the clear low numbers in Eastern Europe. The report points out that Poland’s low share, despite its refugee hosting, illustrates a complexity in migration patterns.

Policy deliberation (implied): While the report itself does not dive into policy recommendations, the dramatic increase from 40 million to 64 million in 15 years leads to certain discussions within EU free‑movement and border protection. The sample figures on asylum applications decline add context to the debate.

Overall, the report demonstrates a migration landscape that is not only growing but also shifting geographically, with numbers that will likely have long-term implications for labour markets and social structure across member states.

How each outlet told it

Deutsche Welle as of Apr 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC

Framing: Record high number of foreign-born people in the EU — Informative

Facts Included:

64.2 million foreign-born people living in the EU in 2025
2.1 million increase from 2024
Germany has the largest immigrant population with 18 million foreign-born people
Spain has the fastest-growing immigrant population with a 700,000 increase
Asylum applications decreased by 26.6% in 2025

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RFI — English as of Apr 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC

Framing: EU's growing appeal as a destination — Neutral

Facts Included:

64.2 million foreign-born people residing in the EU in 2025
2.1 million increase from the previous year
Germany has the largest immigrant population with 18 million foreign-born residents
Spain has the fastest-growing immigrant population with a 700,000 increase
Luxembourg, Malta, and Cyprus have high proportions of immigrants relative to their population size

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Apr 22, 2026, 10:45 AM UTC

Framing: Record number of migrants in the EU — Neutral

Facts Included:

64 million migrants in the EU in 2025
2.1 million increase from 2024
Germany's migrant population increased by 70% over 15 years
Spain has the fastest-growing migrant population with a 700,000 increase
Poland has a low migrant share despite being the second-largest refugee host

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe number of foreign-born people living in the EU reached a record high of 64.2 million in 2025, representing a growth of about 2.1 million from 2024.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from RFI — English as of Apr 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimGermany remains the EU's largest host country, with close to 18 million foreign-born residents.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from RFI — English as of Apr 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimSpain has emerged as the fastest-growing hub in recent years, adding roughly 700,000 foreign-born residents over the past year alone.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from RFI — English as of Apr 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimLuxembourg, Malta, and Cyprus have some of the highest proportions of immigrants relative to their population size.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source quoted from RFI — English as of Apr 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC the outlets behind this status were not recorded for this claim
ClaimAsylum applications decreased by 26.6% in 2025, with a total of 669,365 applications.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Apr 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC
ClaimCyprus has the highest share of refugees relative to its population at 4.8%.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Deutsche Welle as of Apr 22, 2026, 7:31 AM UTC
ClaimPoland has a low migrant share despite being the second-largest refugee host with about 1 million people.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Apr 22, 2026, 10:45 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

3 outlets · 3 articles consulted: Deutsche Welle, RFI — English, TASS — English 7 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14