EU countries by foreign-born population
Germany had the highest foreign-born population of 27 EU countries in 2021, at 15.16 million. Malta had the lowest, at 119,556. The median was 688,697. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.
All EU countries, 2021
Full ranking
| Rank | EU countries | 2021 | Change on 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 15,162,728 | +0.8% |
| 2 | France | 8,548,924 | +0.9% |
| 3 | Spain | 7,254,797 | +3.4% |
| 4 | Italy | 6,262,207 | +1.6% |
| 5 | Netherlands | 2,451,157 | +2.1% |
| 6 | Belgium | 2,065,727 | +1.9% |
| 7 | Sweden | 2,045,234 | +1.3% |
| 8 | Austria | 1,792,053 | +1.8% |
| 9 | Portugal | 1,495,524 | +5.6% |
| 10 | Greece | 1,172,292 | -1.3% |
| 11 | Ireland | 1,030,012 | +0.7% |
| 12 | Poland | 935,740 | +10.2% |
| 13 | Denmark | 721,135 | +0.7% |
| 14 | Romania Estimated | 688,697 | -4.9% |
| 15 | Hungary | 597,440 | +0.6% |
| 16 | Croatia | 478,056 | -1.7% |
| 17 | Czechia Series break | 409,220 | -23.3% |
| 18 | Finland | 408,676 | +3.8% |
| 19 | Luxembourg | 309,164 | +2.5% |
| 20 | Slovenia | 292,824 | +4% |
| 21 | Latvia | 230,095 | -2.9% |
| 22 | Cyprus | 219,134 | +5% |
| 23 | Slovakia | 201,941 | +1.8% |
| 24 | Estonia | 198,243 | -0% |
| 25 | Bulgaria | 188,519 | +6.9% |
| 26 | Lithuania | 155,586 | +1.2% |
| 27 | Malta | 119,556 | +0.5% |
Other periods
About this ranking
Residents on 1 January whose country of birth is not the reporting country, all ages and both sexes (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb, country of birth FOR).
Based on country of birth, not citizenship: people born abroad who hold the nationality of the reporting country are counted, and foreign nationals born in the country are not. People born in another EU country count as foreign born. For the share of the population use foreign_born_share.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
Eurostat. Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr_pop4ctb). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.Citation styles
APA 7
Eurostat, European Commission. (2026). Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr_pop4ctb) (EU countries by foreign-born population, 2021) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb/default/table
MLA 9
Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr_pop4ctb), EU countries by foreign-born population, 2021. Eurostat, European Commission, 25 Sept. 2026, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb/default/table. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population-number/eu-countries?period=2021. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
Eurostat, European Commission. 2026. Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr_pop4ctb). EU countries by foreign-born population, 2021. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb/default/table. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population-number/eu-countries?period=2021.
Harvard
Eurostat, European Commission (2026) Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr_pop4ctb), EU countries by foreign-born population, 2021 [Dataset]. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb/default/table, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population-number/eu-countries?period=2021 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{eurostat_eu_countries_by_foreign_2021,
author = {{Eurostat, European Commission}},
title = {{Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr\_pop4ctb): EU countries by foreign-born population, 2021}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
url = {https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb/default/table},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population-number/eu-countries?period=2021. Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr\_pop4ctb). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr\_pop4ctb/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - Eurostat, European Commission
TI - Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr_pop4ctb): EU countries by foreign-born population, 2021
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
PB - Eurostat, European Commission
DB - Invokely
UR - https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb/default/table
L2 - https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population-number/eu-countries?period=2021
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population-number/eu-countries?period=2021.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Eurostat. Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr_pop4ctb). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop4ctb/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank EU countries by foreign-born population using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"foreign_born_population","level":"country","within":"European Union (27)","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=foreign_born_population&level=country&within=European%20Union%20(27)&limit=10Questions
Which EU country has the highest foreign-born population?
Germany, with 15.16 million in 2021, according to Eurostat, European Commission.
Which EU country has the lowest foreign-born population?
Malta, with 119,556 in 2021.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population on 1 January by group of country of birth, foreign country (migr_pop4ctb). Retrieved 2026-10-12.