New data has exposed unprecedented growth in the European Union’s migrant population, with especially significant increases observed in Germany and Spain.
WHAT HAPPENED: A recent report by the Center for Research and Analysis on Migration revealed that the EU migrant population reached a record high of 64.2 million in 2025—a figure representing an increase from 40 million in 2010, surpassing Italy’s entire population and approaching France’s.
The report highlights particularly rapid growth in Germany and Spain, with Spain having Europe’s fastest-growing migrant population last year.
DETAIL: Published by the Center for Research and Analysis on Migration, using Eurostat and United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency data, the report, released Wednesday, indicates that the EU has seen an influx of approximately 25 million new migrants over the past 15 years. Germany’s migrant population grew from 10 million in 2018 to nearly 18 million by 2025, with 72 percent falling within working age. Spain added about 700,000 migrants during 2025 alone, bringing its total to 9.5 million.
KEY QUOTE: “Germany remains the main destination for migrants in Europe, both in absolute terms and, to a significant extent, relative to its population,” said Dr. Tommaso Frattini, one of the report’s authors.
IMPACT: The sharp rise in EU migrant populations has substantial implications for integration, public finances, and social services. Spain’s Socialist Party-led government is currently processing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into legal status, who will eventually gain access to the entire European Union through the bloc’s Free Movement migration regime.
FLASHBACK: In February, U.S. President Donald J. Trump raised concerns about mass migration into Europe as part of his administration’s focus on the continent’s immigration and energy crises, stating, “If they don’t solve both of them fast, Europe is not the same place.”
