The number of immigrants residing in the European Union rose to a record high of 64.2 million in 2025, according to a recently published report by the Centre for Research and Analysis on Migration at RFBerlin.
The data indicate that, since 2010, more than 24 million immigrants have moved to the EU, representing an increase of 2.1 million compared to 2024. According to the report, Germany remained the bloc’s largest host of a foreign-born population, at nearly 18 million, while Spain recorded the fastest recent growth, adding about 700,000 to reach 9.5 million.
The report states that Germany also hosts the largest number of refugees overall, at 2.7 million, while asylum applications are concentrated—besides Germany—in Spain, Italy, and France, with these four countries accounting for nearly three-quarters of all claims.
The publication of the report coincided with the circulation of a visual presentation on X in recent days, depicting what is best described as an ‘invasion’ of Europe by illegal migrants. First shared by the user Neoptolemus, the visual has since gone viral, garnering more than two million views in less than 24 hours and being reposted by numerous right-wing political commentators and activists. ‘It’s one thing to see a graph saying, “12 million illegal migrants entered Europe since 2008.” It’s another thing to actually see it,’ the user wrote in the caption.
It’s one thing to see a graph saying, “12 million illegal migrants entered Europe since 2008.”
— Neoptolemus (@NeoptolemusX) April 22, 2026
It’s another thing to actually see it.
Every blip in this animation represents 100 people. pic.twitter.com/WfD7SR7XF1
According to the visual, since 2008, 12 million illegal migrants have arrived in the European Union, mostly from Syria and Afghanistan.
The rising number of migrants, both illegal and legal, poses a challenge to Western European mainstream governments and the EU leadership, which tend to approach the issue primarily as a technical and administrative matter, rather than as a civilizational challenge, as framed by right-wing, anti-immigration parties.
The latter interpretation appears to resonate more closely with segments of European electorates, as in the most affected countries these parties are either leading the opposition or already in government.
#Wahlumfrage #Bundestagswahl, INSA (18.04.26): AfD: 27% (+1), CDU/CSU: 24% (−1), SPD: 14%, Grüne: 13% (+0,5), Linke: 11% (+1), BSW: 3% (−0,5), FDP: 3% (−0,5), Sonstige: 5% (−0,5) ➤ https://t.co/Lyo8RtElCi | #Sonntagsfrage #btw2029 #Bundestag pic.twitter.com/7rarMrrpiJ
— Wahlumfragen • dawum.de (@dawum_de) April 18, 2026
In Italy, Giorgia Meloni came to power in 2023 with a strong focus on tackling mass migration—although the effectiveness of these efforts remains debated—while in Germany, the rise of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) continues, with a recent INSA poll placing Alice Weidel’s party three percentage points ahead of the governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Similarly, in France, Jordan Bardella of the National Rally is polling well ahead of his competitors in projections for the 2027 presidential election.
In Spain, however, the situation is quite the opposite. Under the leadership of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the country has approved and implemented a mass regularization for illegal migrants, with the number of applications expected to range between 500,000 and 800,000.
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