Giving Compass' Take:

• Pew Research Center unpacks data about the number and background of Europe's unauthorized immigration population. 

• How can data inform efforts to help immigrants find permanent and legal residence? 

• Learn about efforts to integrate Europe's migrants. 

At least 3.9 million unauthorized immigrants – and possibly as many as 4.8 million – lived in Europe in 2017, according to new Pew Research Center estimates. These totals are up from Center estimates for 2014, when between 3.0 million and 3.7 million unauthorized migrants resided in European nations, but are little changed from the recent peak of 4.1 million to 5.3 million in 2016.

Even with the growth of the unauthorized immigrant population in EU-EFTA countries since 2014, unauthorized immigrants in 2017 accounted for less than 1% of Europe’s total population of more than 500 million. Among immigrants in Europe, there were four times as many authorized immigrants from outside the EU-EFTA as there were unauthorized immigrants.

  • Unauthorized immigrants residing in Europe in 2017 were from a diverse set of origin countries. Three-in-ten unauthorized immigrants were from Asia-Pacific countries, while an estimated 23% were from European countries outside of the EU and EFTA. Some 21% were from countries in the Middle East-North Africa region. Meanwhile, 17% were from sub-Saharan African countries and 8% were from countries in the Americas.
  • More than half (56%) of unauthorized immigrants in Europe in 2017 had lived there less than five years. In Germany, about two-thirds (66%) of unauthorized immigrants had lived in the country for less than five years, while unauthorized immigrants in the UK were more likely to be long-term residents – fewer than half (43%) had lived there for less than five years.
  • About two-thirds of the unauthorized immigrants residing in Europe were younger than 35 years old (65%) in 2017, and slightly more than half were male (54%). Majorities of the unauthorized immigrants living in Germany (65%) and the UK (58%) were below the age of 35. The gender shares also differed in both Germany (60% male) and the UK (48% male).

Read the full article about unathorized immigrants in Europe at Pew Research Center.