EU Foreign-Born Population Reaches Record 64.2 Million in 2025, Germany Hosts Nearly 18 Million

A new migration report cited by multiple outlets says the European Union’s foreign-born population reached a record 64.2 million in 2025, rising by about 2.1 million from the previous year.

“A report published by the Migration Research and Analysis Center of the Rokoul Berlin Foundation on Wednesday shows that the number of migrants living in the European Union rose to an unprecedented 64”

Al-Jazeera Net

The figures are described as coming from data compiled with Eurostat and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the report also compares the 2025 total with 40 million in 2010.

Al-Jazeera Net

Al-Jazeera Net frames the result as an “unprecedented 64.2 million in 2025,” while Cyprus Mail similarly reports that the number “climbed to a record high of 64.2 million in 2025.”

The same report is also described by DW as a “record high of 64.2 million in 2025,” with growth of about 2.1 million from 2024.

Outlook India adds that the foreign-born population “making up about 14% of the total population,” and it links the 2025 total to a sustained migration trend across the bloc.

RFI likewise says the new figures show “64.2 million foreign-born people were residing across the EU in 2025,” and it describes the pattern as “increasingly fluid” in distribution.

Across the coverage, Germany is consistently identified as the largest host, with Al-Jazeera Net saying Germany remained the leading EU country hosting people born abroad at “around 18 million,” while DW states Germany has “nearly 18 million foreign-born people residing in the country.”

The report’s headline distribution is described in consistent terms across outlets: Germany remains the primary destination for migrants in absolute numbers and relative to population size, while Spain is highlighted for the fastest growth.

Al-Jazeera Net says Germany remained the leading EU country in hosting people born abroad, numbering “around 18 million,” and it adds that “72% are of working age.”

Cyprus Mail

The same outlet quotes a contributor, Tommaso Fratini, saying, “Germany remains Europe's main destination for migrants, both in terms of absolute numbers and largely relative to its population.”

The New Voice of Ukraine likewise says Germany hosts the largest immigrant population in the EU, “with nearly 18 million people, 72% of whom are of working age,” and it repeats that Germany “remains the primary destination for migrants in Europe both in absolute terms and relative to its population size.”

For Spain, multiple sources tie the growth to a specific figure: Al-Jazeera Net says Spain recorded the fastest growth recently, as the number of people born abroad there rose by “about 700,000 to reach 9.5 million.”

Cyprus Mail similarly reports Spain “adding about 700,000 to bring its foreign-born population to 9.5 million,” while DW describes Spain as having “foreign-born population growing by 700,000 in 2024 to reach 9.5 million.”

Outlook India provides additional framing by describing the increase as “adding about 700,000 new residents in one year,” and it states that Germany’s immigrant population rose from “10.5 million 15 years ago.”

RFI also emphasizes the same Spain figure, saying the country “added roughly 700,000 foreign-born residents over the past year alone, bringing its total to 9.5 million.”

Beyond the overall totals, the report described by the outlets emphasizes uneven migration patterns across EU member states, with smaller countries showing higher shares relative to their populations.

“The number of foreign-born people living in the EU reached a record high of 64”

DW

Al-Jazeera Net says the report noted variations in migration patterns within the European Union, with Luxembourg, Malta, and Cyprus recording higher shares of migrants relative to their populations.

DW provides the same set of countries with more precise proportions, stating that “Luxembourg tops the list, with immigrants accounting for around 52% of its population,” followed by “Malta (32%) and Cyprus (28%).”

RFI similarly highlights that “smaller nations such as Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus have some of the highest proportions of immigrants relative to their population size.”

The New Voice of Ukraine also describes the same distribution, saying “Countries such as Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus have a higher share of immigrants relative to their total populations.”

Asylum applications are described as concentrated in specific countries even as overall asylum numbers decline.

Outlook India says asylum applications fell sharply by “26.6% in 2025 compared to the previous year,” and it adds that Spain, Italy, France, and Germany accounted for nearly three-quarters of applications.

DW gives a specific total, saying “In 2025, the total number of asylum applications in the EU amounted to 669,365, a decrease of 26.6% compared with 2024,” and it repeats that Spain, Italy, France and Germany accounted for “nearly three-quarters of those applications.”

Al-Jazeera Net also states that asylum applications were concentrated, with Spain, Italy, France, and Germany receiving “about three-quarters of total applications.”

In the same reporting, Germany is described as hosting the largest number of refugees overall, with Al-Jazeera Net saying “Germany hosts the largest number of refugees overall, totaling 2.7 million,” and DW stating “Germany also hosts by far the largest number of refugees in absolute terms, with 2.7 million living in the country.”

The migration figures are presented alongside a policy shift toward “greater stringency” in migration rules, with Al-Jazeera Net describing EU movement toward tighter migration policies.

It says “the EU is moving toward greater stringency in migration policies,” and it adds that “the Council of the European Union approved a package of new rules aimed at speeding up the assessment of international protection applications.”

Japan Today

Al-Jazeera Net also points to a February human rights report by the Belgian Solidarity Network that it says revealed ongoing “illegal” pushback practices against tens of thousands of asylum seekers at the EU’s external borders.

The outlet states that the report stressed that “although EU law and international refugee law guarantee the right to apply for asylum,” many cases involved “collective expulsions without any individual assessment of their circumstances.”

It further describes where pushback operations are concentrated, naming “the Bulgaria-Turkey border and the Aegean Sea route between Greece and Turkey,” as well as “the Poland-Belarus border and at the Hungarian border.”

The New Voice of Ukraine adds that Germany’s parliament passed legislation in February 2026 “tightening asylum rules while easing access to the labor market for asylum seekers.”

It also says asylum applications in Germany dropped sharply in the first three months of 2026, citing a confidential European Commission report, and it notes that Germany fell to fourth place among EU countries in asylum applications for the first time since 2015.

DW’s coverage of the same broader report does not focus on pushback, but it does include asylum application totals and the decline, stating “a decrease of 26.6% compared with 2024.”

Taken together, the outlets connect the record foreign-born population to a period in which asylum processing and border practices are under active political and rights scrutiny.

While the report’s main focus is the foreign-born population, the coverage also details refugee hosting and asylum application rankings, including how Germany’s position changed in 2026.

“The number of immigrants residing in the European Union climbed to a record high of 64”

Japan Today

Al-Jazeera Net says Germany hosts the largest number of refugees overall, “totaling 2.7 million,” and it pairs that with the statement that Germany remains the leading destination for migrants.

Outlook India

DW similarly states that Germany “hosts by far the largest number of refugees in absolute terms, with 2.7 million living in the country,” and it adds a relative comparison by noting Cyprus has the highest share of refugees relative to its population at “4.8%,” compared with “3.2% in Germany and 0.5% in Italy.”

The New Voice of Ukraine adds a timeline element by saying Germany’s parliament passed legislation in February 2026 tightening asylum rules, and it reports that “Asylum applications in Germany dropped sharply in the first three months of 2026.”

It further states that Germany “fell to fourth place among EU countries in asylum applications for the first time since 2015,” after leading the ranking for years.

The same outlet provides specific first-quarter 2026 asylum application figures, saying France recorded “34,643,” followed by Spain with “32,630” and Italy with “32,602,” while Hungary and Slovakia reported “26 and 35 applications respectively.”

Outlook India, by contrast, emphasizes the overall decline in asylum applications in 2025, saying “A total of 669,365 asylum applications were submitted, a decrease of 26.6% compared to the previous year.”

Across these accounts, the record foreign-born population coexists with a reported drop in asylum applications and shifting national rankings, with Germany still hosting the largest refugee population even as its asylum application ranking changes.

The combined picture in the sources is therefore not a single trend but a set of changing metrics: foreign-born totals rising to 64.2 million, asylum applications falling to 669,365 in 2025, and Germany’s asylum ranking shifting in early 2026.