{"id":10476,"date":"2019-11-14T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-11-14T12:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/5-facts-about-unauthorized-immigration-in-europe\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T14:55:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T18:55:53","slug":"5-facts-about-unauthorized-immigration-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2019\/11\/14\/5-facts-about-unauthorized-immigration-in-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"5 facts about unauthorized immigration in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Editorial note to readers (March 19, 2025):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This project estimated the number of unauthorized immigrants living in 32 European countries during the mid- to late-2010s. We used what were then the best available data sources from different governments and from the European Union. After our report was published in November 2019, researchers at the University of Oxford\u2019s Migration Observatory identified a problem<\/a> with the official data from the United Kingdom\u2019s Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the number of legal immigrants residing in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ONS data on legal immigrants that we used in our report did not include those with \u201cindefinite leave to remain\u201d (ILR), a group legally residing in the country. Including the ILR group among legal UK residents results in lower estimated total numbers of unauthorized immigrants for both the United Kingdom and Europe in 2017 and other years. The updated estimates for the number of unauthorized immigrants in 2017 (without waiting asylum seekers) are 700,000-900,000 for the UK and 2.8 million-3.5 million for Europe. Updated estimates can be found in this table but are not reflected elsewhere in this short read.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Number<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The number of unauthorized immigrants living in Europe increased between 2014 and 2016, then leveled off to an estimated 3.9 million to 4.8 million in 2017, according to new estimates from Pew Research Center.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These immigrants lived in the 32 countries of the European Union<\/a> (EU) and European Free Trade Association<\/a> (EFTA), but about half lived in just two countries \u2013 Germany and the United Kingdom. Europe\u2019s unauthorized immigrants are diverse in their origins, coming from many nations outside of the region. They are also largely recent arrivals to Europe, with about half having arrived in the past five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Europe is one of the world\u2019s top destinations<\/a> for international migrants. In recent years, their population has grown as high numbers<\/a> of immigrants have entered Europe, including some seeking asylum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five facts about the unauthorized immigrant population in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n

Who\u2019s counted as an unauthorized immigrant?<\/div>