In 2022, an estimated 10.99 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States. This is an increase from about 3.5 million unauthorized immigrants who lived in the United States in 1990.

The estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. stands at around ** million people. Although the number has stabilized, the United States has seen a spike in migrant encounters in the last few years, with over * million cases registered by the U.S. Border Patrol in 2023. This is a slight decrease from the previous year, when there were over *** million cases registered. Due to its proximity and shared border, Mexico remains the leading country of origin for most undocumented immigrants in the U.S., with California and Texas being home to the majority.

Immigration and political division

Despite the majority of the population having immigrant roots, the topic of immigration in the U.S. remains one of the country’s longest-standing political debates. Support among Republicans for restrictive immigration has grown alongside Democratic support for open immigration. This growing divide has deepened the polarization between the two major political parties, stifling constructive dialogue and impeding meaningful reform efforts and as a result, has led to dissatisfaction from all sides. In addition to general immigration policy, feelings toward illegal immigration in the U.S. also vary widely. For some, it's seen as a significant threat to national security, cultural identity, and economic stability. This perspective often aligns with support for stringent measures like Trump's proposed border wall and increased enforcement efforts. On the other hand, there are those who are more sympathetic toward undocumented immigrants, as demonstrated by support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

In the fiscal year of 2020, the United States Border Patrol apprehended ******* people trying to cross the Southwest border. This was a significant decrease from the previous year, when there were ******* apprehensions by Border Patrol at the Southwest border. This decrease is likely due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In 2022, about **** million illegal aliens were apprehended in the United States. This was a significant increase from the previous year, when there were around **** million illegal aliens apprehended nationwide. Apprehensions refer to Border Patrol apprehensions and ICE administrative arrests.

Between the third quarter of 2017 and the end of 2023, the largest share of Canada's refugee applications came from people from Haiti. Among these, ***** had been accepted, and ***** had been rejected. The remaining countries with the largest share of applications were fairly spread out across the globe, although the majority of applications are believed to have come from those fleeing persecution or seeking asylum.

In 2023 there were over 350,000 illegal border crossing detecting on the borders of the European Union, the most crossings recorded since 2017 when there were over 204,000. Illegal border crossings peaked in 2015 at the height of the European migrant crisis, when over 1.8 million illegal border crossing were detected.

EN

The dataset includes all four waves of panel data:

Parchemins - Wave 1 collected in 2017/2018, 468 participants Parchemins - Wave 2 collected in 2019/2020, 379 participants Parchemins - Wave 3 collected in 2020/2021, 312 participants Parchemins - Wave 4 collected in 2021/2022, 260 participants

The data are available in English and in French in SPSS format. Each respondent has a personal identifier. The data is prepared in a wide format that allows separate analysis per wave but is ready to be transformed into a long format for panel analysis.

The data shared are anonymized and include a reduced version of the complete dataset in order to avoid individuals being potentially identifiable. The study concerns a particularly vulnerable group. If a variable appears in the documentation, but not in this data file, this is due to anonymization. It is possible to ask for a more extensive version by email to the PIs: Prof. Claudine Burton-Jeangros and Prof. Yves-Laurent Jackson.

FR

Le jeu de données comprent les quatre vagues de données de panel:

Parchemins - Vague 1 collectée en 2017/2018, 468 participantes et participants Parchemins - Vague 2 collectée en 2019/2020, 379 participantes et participants Parchemins - Vague 3 collectée en 2020/2021, 312 participantes et participants Parchemins - Vague 4 collectée en 2021/2022, 260 participantes et participants

Les données sont disponibles en anglais et en français au format SPSS. Chaque répondante et répondant a un identifiant personnel. Les données sont préparées dans un format large qui permet une analyse séparée par vague, mais elles sont prêtes à être transformées en format long pour une analyse de panel.

Les données partagées ont été anonymisées. Une version réduite des données est disponible afin d'éviter que les individus ne soient identifiables, l'étude concernant un groupe particulièrement vulnérable. Si une variable apparaît dans la documentation, mais pas dans le fichier de données, cela est dû à l'anonymisation. Il est possible de demander une version plus complète en envoyant un email aux responsables de l'étude: Prof. Claudine Burton-Jeangros et Prof. Yves-Laurent Jackson.

Until 2016, Sweden had among the most generous asylum laws within the European Union. As a result, the immigration increased for several years, reaching 163,000 immigrants in 2016. During 2016, Sweden sharpened their asylum laws, and the number of immigrants started to decline. In 2020, also as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of immigrants in Sweden fell to 82,500, before increasing slightly again in 2021 and 2022. Over the last years, there was also a decline in the number of asylum grants in Sweden.

Large inflow of refugees

The so-called refugee crisis in the European Union that started in 2015 was characterized by a large inflow of refugees from non-European countries, mainly traversing the Mediterranean Sea in order to reach the European Union. In regards to the immigration trends to Sweden, one of the biggest groups in the last years consisted of Swedes returning to Sweden. Further countries that were among the top countries of origin in the latest years, were India, Syria, Germany, and Poland.

Decline in asylum grants in the European Union

Sweden is not the only country that sharpened the rules for asylum grants in 2016, it has been observed within the whole European Union. Since the end of 2016, there has been a significant decline in the number of accepted first instance asylum applications within the European Union.

In 2023, around 1.93 million people immigrated to Germany. Numbers fluctuated during the time period covered in the graph at hand, peaking in 2015 during the high point of Europe’s refugee crisis. Significantly lower figures in 2020 may be attributed to the first year of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and subsequent restrictions implemented by the German government on entering the country, in order to control the spread of the disease. Immigration to Germany “Immigrant” is a term used from the point of view of the receiving country, or the country being migrated to by a person. While reasons for and circumstances leading to an immigrant entering a foreign country may vary, they often include love, include seeking residence, employment, family reunions, or applying for asylum. Various countries are represented among foreigners living in Germany, though currently the leading three by numbers are Turkey, Ukraine, and Syria. Around 5.2 million immigrants living in Germany do not need a residence permit due to having EU citizenship, and therefore being allowed freedom of movement based on EU law. Another 2.64 million immigrants were granted an unlimited permit to stay in Germany. The near future Germany remains a popular choice for immigrants, even in currently challenging economic and political times. Welfare benefits, healthcare, and various support initiatives for those moving to or arriving in the country are on the list of selling points, though in practice, difficulties may be encountered depending on individual situations and laws in different German federal states. While the unemployment rate among foreigners living in Germany had gone up in 2020, it dropped again in the following years, but increased once more in 2023 and 2024 to over 16 percent. The country is Europe’s largest economy, housing many global players in various industries, which continues to attract jobseekers, despite these very industries facing struggles of their own brought on both by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and geopolitical events in Europe.

In 2024, the net migration rate in France reached *******. In recent years Europe and France have seen more people arrive than depart. The net migration rate is the difference between the number of immigrants (people coming into an area) and the number of emigrants (people leaving an area) throughout the year. France's highest net migration rate was reached in 2018 when it amounted to *******. Armed conflicts and economic migration are some of the reasons for immigration in Europe. The refugee crisis Studies have shown that there were ******* immigrant arrivals in France in 2022, which has risen since 2014. The migrant crisis, which began in 2015 in Europe, had an impact on the migration entry flows not only in France but in all European countries. The number of illegal border crossings to the EU over the Eastern Mediterranean route reached a record number of ******* crossings in 2015. Immigration in France Since the middle of the 19th century, France has attracted immigrants, first from European countries (like Poland, Spain, and Italy), and then from the former French colonies. In 2023, there were approximately *** million people foreign-born in France. Most of them were living in the Ile-de-France region, which contains Paris, and in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in the Southeastern part of the country. In 2022, the majority of immigrants arriving in France were from Africa and Europe.

The majority of immigrants in Poland in 2023 were from Ukraine (******), a decrease of ** percent compared to the previous year. Immigration to Poland for different reasons In 2022, nearly ****** people immigrated to Poland for permanent residence, of which most came from Ukraine, the UK, and Germany, respectively. Furthermore, the majority of immigrants for temporary stay in Poland in 2022 were from Ukraine (****** immigrants), a decrease of *** percent compared to the previous year. In 2023, most Ukrainian citizens chose Poland as a place for economic emigration. The main reason for that choice was geographical and cultural proximity. Nearly every second respondent valued the low language barrier, and for every third person, the motivation was earnings. Poles attitudes toward Russia’s war with Ukraine In 2022, most Poles had a negative attitude toward Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Poles’ biggest concerns about the Russia-Ukraine war were the military threats from Russia and the impact of the war on the condition of the Polish economy. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poles proved their support for Ukrainians. One of the most common forms of support for refugees fleeing the Russia-Ukraine war to Poland was to provide blankets, food, and hygiene items. Four out of 10 Poles donated money to a charity fundraiser and volunteered in organizations.

In the fiscal year of 2020, the United States Border Patrol apprehended ****** unaccompanied children. This is a significant decrease from the previous fiscal year, when ****** unaccompanied minors were apprehended by Border Patrol. This is likely due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

As of 2020, the number of immigrants in Malaysia amounted to approximately 3.48 million. As one of the biggest economies in Southeast Asia, Malaysia is an attractive destination for workers from neighboring countries seeking better wages and employment.

Indonesians make up the majority of immigrants
With their shared culture, religion and a very similar language, Indonesia was the single biggest contributor of immigrants to Malaysia. Indonesians also make up the bulk of migrant workers there, with many having sought employment in construction, agriculture, or as domestic helpers. In 2017, however, the estimated number of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia differed from the official numbers given by the Indonesian government, indicating a significant portion who might have undertaken the journey to work in Malaysia illegally.

Perceptions on immigration
Immigration is a sensitive topic in Malaysia, and more Malaysians seemed to view it negatively than positively. Immigrants, especially those in Malaysia illegally, are routinely blamed for a host of problems from crime to loss of jobs, and Malaysians seemed to believe that there were more immigrants than there actually were in the country. Despite their misgivings, however, Malaysia needed these immigrants to take on jobs that most locals would not do and to make up for the shortage of manpower it faced.

In Spain, the number of boats that entered the country illegally was around ***** in 2019, which was the lowest number of boats in the study period. In contrast, the number of small boats peaked in 2020 at *****. In 2024, ***** boats had arrived in Spain.

In 2024, approximately 948,000 million people migrated to the United Kingdom, while 517,000 people migrated from the UK, resulting in a net migration figure of 431,000. There have consistently been more people migrating to the United Kingdom than leaving it since 1993 when the net migration figure was negative 1,000. Although migration from the European Union has declined since the Brexit vote of 2016, migration from non-EU countries accelerated rapidly from 2021 onwards. In the year to June 2023, 968,000 people from non-EU countries migrated to the UK, compared with 129,000 from EU member states. Immigration and the 2024 election Since late 2022, immigration, along with the economy and healthcare, has consistently been seen by UK voters as one of the top issues facing the country. Despite a pledge to deter irregular migration via small boats, and controversial plans to send asylum applicants to Rwanda while their claims are being processed, Rishi Sunak's Conservative government lost the trust of the public on this issue. On the eve of the last election, 20 percent of Britons thought the Labour Party would be the best party to handle immigration, compared with 13 percent who thought the Conservatives would handle it better. Sunak and the Conservatives went on to lose this election, suffering their worst defeat in modern elections. Historical context of migration The first humans who arrived in the British Isles, were followed by acts of conquest and settlement from Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danes, and Normans. In the early modern period, there were also significant waves of migration from people fleeing religious or political persecution, such as the French Huguenots. More recently, large numbers of people also left Britain. Between 1820 and 1957, for example, around 4.5 million people migrated from Britain to America. After World War Two, immigration from Britain's colonies and former colonies was encouraged to meet labour demands. A key group that migrated from the Caribbean between the late 1940s and early 1970s became known as the Windrush generation, named after one of the ships that brought the arrivals to Britain.

As of December 2024, Lombardy was the region in Italy hosting the largest share of immigrants, followed by Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, and Piedmont. Lombardy is the region with the highest number of inhabitants in the country. The north Italian region has ten million residents, around one sixth of the total national population, and was housing 18,200 immigrants. The Mediterranean route to Europe  In 2020, 955 migrants died or went missing in the Italian Central Mediterranean Sea in the attempt to reach Europe. In 2024, 66,317 people arrived at the Italian shores, 91,300 individuals less compared to 2023. Death and missing cases still represent a serious hazard for the people who want to reach Italy from North Africa. Racism on the rise in Italy Race-related violence is strictly correlated with immigration. According to 2020 data, the cases of racial physical violence increased, in particular between 2016 and 2018. Over these three years, the cases of body violence ranged from 24 to 127 attacks. Similarly, insults, threats, and harassment became more widespread. Between 2017 and 2019, the cases grew from 88 to 206, while only in the first three months of 2020 there were 53 episodes of racist insults, threats, and harassment.

Between January and August 2021, the immigration numbers in Italy were largely influenced by citizens from Africa. Tunisia represented the most frequent origin country declared upon arrival, while Egypt and Ivory Coast occupied the third and fourth positions in this ranking. During the first eight months of 2021, 11 thousand Tunisians arrived on the Italian shores, while the number of people from Bangladesh amounted to 5.3 thousand.

Nationality of asylum seekers  

In October 2020, 792 asylum applicants in Italy came were from Pakistan. Pakistani represented the most frequent nationality of asylum seekers according to the requests processed in that month. Nigerian was the second most common nationality, with 501 requests made in October 2020. In the same month, 471 examined asylum applications were made by Bangladeshis. Bangladesh is among the most frequent places of origins declared upon arrival in Italy.

Unaccompanied and separated children

In 2019, 659 unaccompanied and separated children arrived in Italy to seek for asylum. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of asylum applications from unaccompanied children peaked in 2017 at 9.8 thousand. The largest percentage of unaccompanied and separated children who arrived in Italy by sea were from Sudan. Separated children are children separated from both their parents, for instance due to conflicts or other disasters. Unaccompanied children are infants separated from both parents or other relatives, which are by law responsible for taking care of them.

From January to December 2024, around 66,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of migrants setting foot in the country peaked in 2016 at 181,000 individuals, whereas in 2019 only 11,400 people were rescued from the sea. In fact, stricter immigration policies were enacted between 2018 and 2019 by the right-wing and populist government supported by the League and the Five-Star Movement. Among the most frequent countries of origin declared upon arrivals in 2024, Bangladesh and Syria ranked in the first places. About 13,800 were Bangladeshi citizens, while around 12,500 immigrants came from Syria. Asylum seekers and minors among the migrants In 2023, the largest number of asylum applicants in Italy were from Bangladesh. In fact, 23,450 requests were recorded as of December 2023, while 18,300 applicants were from Egypt, the second most common nationality among asylum seekers. In recent years, many unaccompanied minors reached the Italian coasts. In 2024, 8,043 children migrated without their parents into the country. Contrasting opinions and distorted perceptions  According to the data published by Ipsos, a part of Italians tend to overestimate the size of the immigrated population. The results of this survey uncovered the presence of distorted perceptions in 2018: people thought that about 28 percent of the Italian population was not born in Italy, whereas the actual percentage was around ten. Furthermore, the public opinion on migration was controversial. In the same year, roughly half of the population perceived migrants as a risk for the Italian economy. On the other hand, 18 percent of Italians believed that migration could be a resource for the country.

Denmark has experienced a positive migration flow over the past decade. During this period, there was consistently a higher number of immigrants entering the country than emigrants leaving it. Up until 2015, the number of immigrants arriving in Denmark steadily grew. Since then, however, the number of immigrants has decreased. In 2022, a record-high 121,000 people immigrated to Denmark, while around 63,000 people emigrated, meaning that there were almost twice as many immigrants as emigrants that year. The following year, close to 100,000 people immigrated to Denmark.

Tighter immigration laws

The decreasing immigration figures up until 2021 can in part be explained by tighter immigration rules. Since 2015, immigration policies have been strengthened in Denmark. For instance, immigrants are required to work 37 hours a week to qualify for certain social benefits, and the parliament recently passed a legislation making it possible to send asylum seekers to countries outside of the EU while their applications are processed. Despite this tendency, forecasts predict that the number of immigrants will increase and reach 725,000 people in 2029. This is because a high number of immigrants in Denmark come from from other EU countries such as Poland and Germany. As of 2024, nearly 50,000 Danish residents had Polish origins.

Ukrainian refugees driving the number of immigrants

The record-high number of immigrants arriving in Denmark in 2022 was driven by refugees from Ukraine following Russia's invasion of the country in February 2022. Around 6.5 million people have fled Ukraine after the outbreak of the war, and in Denmark, nearly 32,000 of the immigrants that year came from Ukraine. The number of immigrants arriving in the country in 2022 was significantly higher than in 2015, the previous record year, when a high number of Syrian refugees arrived in the country.

In 2023, it was estimated that 3,105 migrants died while crossings the Mediterranean Sea. As of 2024, 2,333 casualties were recorded. However, the accurate number of deaths recorded in the Mediterranean Sea cannot be ascertained. Between 2014 and 2018, for instance, about 12,000 people who drowned were never found. Casualties and missing people Worldwide, it was estimated that 8,000 people died in the attempt to flee their country. According to estimations, over 5,000 refugees lost their lives in the attempt to reach the European shores in 2016. Therefore, the Mediterranean Sea was the deadliest migration route. Indeed, over the last couple of years, the Mediterranean Sea held the largest number of casualties and missing people. Western, Central, and Eastern route According to migration studies, the Mediterranean Sea is crossed by a Western, a Central, and an Eastern route. Out of these routes, the Central Mediterranean route was the deadliest. In 2016, roughly 4,600 people lost their lives while pursuing this route. The identification of bodies is challenging due to the sea. In 2019, for instance, the vast majority of refugees who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea were not identified and their country of origin untraceable.