Data / Rankings / Foreign-born population share / EU countries

EU countries by foreign-born share of the population

Luxembourg had the highest foreign-born share of the population of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 45.7%. Poland had the lowest, at 1.7%. The median was 12.1%. Source: Eurostat.

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Highest45.7Luxembourg
Lowest1.7Poland
Median12.127 EU countries

Map of EU countries, 2017

Austria: 18.8 %Belgium: 16.5 %Bulgaria: 2 %Cyprus: 21.3 %Czechia: 4.4 %Germany: 14.7 %Denmark: 11.6 %Estonia: 14.6 %Spain: 12.9 %Finland: 6.3 %France: 12.1 %Greece: 11.4 %Croatia: 12.6 %Hungary: 5.3 %Ireland: 19.5 %Italy: 9.6 %Lithuania: 4.4 %Luxembourg: 45.7 %Latvia: 12.9 %Malta: 15.1 %Netherlands: 12.5 %Poland: 1.7 %Portugal: 11.6 %Romania: 2.1 %Sweden: 17.8 %Slovenia: 11.9 %Slovakia: 3.4 %
  • Under 4.6
  • 4.6 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 to 16
  • 16 and over
%, 2017. Source: Invokely calculation with data from Eurostat. Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

All EU countries, 2017

Luxembourg: 45.7 %Luxembourg45.7Cyprus: 21.3 %Cyprus21.3Ireland: 19.5 %Ireland19.5Austria: 18.8 %Austria18.8Sweden: 17.8 %Sweden17.8Belgium: 16.5 %Belgium16.5Malta: 15.1 %Malta15.1Germany: 14.7 %Germany14.7Estonia: 14.6 %Estonia14.6Spain: 12.9 %Spain12.9Latvia: 12.9 %Latvia12.9Croatia: 12.6 %Croatia12.6Netherlands: 12.5 %Netherlands12.5France: 12.1 %France12.1Slovenia: 11.9 %Slovenia11.9Denmark: 11.6 %Denmark11.6Portugal: 11.6 %Portugal11.6Greece: 11.4 %Greece11.4Italy: 9.6 %Italy9.6Finland: 6.3 %Finland6.3Hungary: 5.3 %Hungary5.3Czechia: 4.4 %Czechia4.4Lithuania: 4.4 %Lithuania4.4Slovakia: 3.4 %Slovakia3.4Romania: 2.1 %Romania2.1Bulgaria: 2 %Bulgaria2Poland: 1.7 %Poland1.7Luxembourg: 45.7 %Luxembourg45.7Cyprus: 21.3 %Cyprus21.3Ireland: 19.5 %Ireland19.5Austria: 18.8 %Austria18.8Sweden: 17.8 %Sweden17.8Belgium: 16.5 %Belgium16.5Malta: 15.1 %Malta15.1Germany: 14.7 %Germany14.7Estonia: 14.6 %Estonia14.6Spain: 12.9 %Spain12.9Latvia: 12.9 %Latvia12.9Croatia: 12.6 %Croatia12.6Netherlands: 12.5 %Netherlands12.5France: 12.1 %France12.1Slovenia: 11.9 %Slovenia11.9Denmark: 11.6 %Denmark11.6Portugal: 11.6 %Portugal11.6Greece: 11.4 %Greece11.4Italy: 9.6 %Italy9.6Finland: 6.3 %Finland6.3Hungary: 5.3 %Hungary5.3Czechia: 4.4 %Czechia4.4Lithuania: 4.4 %Lithuania4.4Slovakia: 3.4 %Slovakia3.4Romania: 2.1 %Romania2.1Bulgaria: 2 %Bulgaria2Poland: 1.7 %Poland1.7
%. Source: Invokely calculation with data from Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2017 (%)Change on 2016
1Luxembourg45.7+0.5 pts
2Cyprus21.3-0 pts
3Ireland19.5+3.2 pts
4Austria18.8+0.5 pts
5Sweden17.8+0.8 pts
6Belgium16.5+0.2 pts
7Malta15.1+1.4 pts
8Germany14.7+1.4 pts
9Estonia14.6-0.1 pts
10Spain12.9+0.2 pts
11Latvia12.9-0.3 pts
12Croatia12.6-0.2 pts
13Netherlands12.5+0.4 pts
14France12.1+0.1 pts
15Slovenia11.9+0.2 pts
16Denmark11.6+0.5 pts
17Portugal11.6+0.3 pts
18Greece11.4-0.1 pts
19Italy9.6+0.2 pts
20Finland6.3+0.3 pts
21Hungary5.3+0.1 pts
22Czechia4.4+0.3 pts
23Lithuania4.40 pts
24Slovakia3.4+0.1 pts
25Romania2.1+0.4 pts
26Bulgaria2+0.1 pts
27Poland Estimated1.7+0.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

People born outside the country where they live, as a percentage of the total population.

More on how it is measured
  • United States: people who were not US citizens at birth, including naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, temporary migrants and unauthorized immigrants; American Community Survey five-year estimate, where the period shown is the last year of the five-year span.
  • EU countries: residents on 1 January whose country of birth is not the reporting country (Eurostat).
  • England and Wales: usual residents born outside the United Kingdom, Census 2021.

Based on place of birth, not nationality: a naturalized citizen counts as foreign born. In the United States people born in Puerto Rico, the US island areas or abroad to American parents count as native; in the EU everyone born outside the reporting country counts as foreign born, including people born in another EU country or abroad to national parents. Not comparable with foreign_population_share, which counts foreign nationals in Spain and the EU.

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

Invokely calculation from Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb). https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#foreign_born_share. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Citation styles

Invokely calculated this figure from the publishers' data, so Invokely is the author and the publishers of the inputs are named.

APA 7

Invokely. (n.d.). Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb) (EU countries by foreign-born share of the population, 2017) [Data set]. Calculated from data by Eurostat. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#foreign_born_share

MLA 9

Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb), EU countries by foreign-born share of the population, 2017. Calculated from data by Eurostat. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#foreign_born_share. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Invokely. n.d. Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb). EU countries by foreign-born share of the population, 2017. Dataset. Calculated from data by Eurostat. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#foreign_born_share.

Harvard

Invokely (no date) Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb), EU countries by foreign-born share of the population, 2017 [Dataset]. Calculated from data by Eurostat. Available at: https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#foreign_born_share (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{invokely_eu_countries_by_foreign_2017,
  author = {{Invokely}},
  title = {{Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr\_pop4ctb): EU countries by foreign-born share of the population, 2017}},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#foreign_born_share},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Calculated from data by Eurostat. Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/eu-countries?period=2017. Publisher attribution: Invokely calculation from Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr\_pop4ctb). https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology\#foreign\_born\_share. Retrieved 2026-10-12.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Invokely
TI  - Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb): EU countries by foreign-born share of the population, 2017
PB  - Invokely
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#foreign_born_share
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/eu-countries?period=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Calculated from data by Eurostat.
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/foreign-born-population/eu-countries?period=2017.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Invokely calculation from Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb). https://invokely.ai/docs/methodology#foreign_born_share. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
ER  -
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Questions

Which EU country has the highest foreign-born share of the population?

Luxembourg, with 45.7% in 2017, according to Eurostat.

Which EU country has the lowest foreign-born share of the population?

Poland, with 1.7% in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Invokely, Foreign-born population share (Eurostat migr_pop4ctb). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Foreign-born population share: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings