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.

As a result of the crisis between Belarus and the European Union, Polish border services recorded approximately 640 illegal attempts to cross the Polish-Belarusian border in December 2024. Around 30,000 immigrants, mainly from Middle Eastern and African countries, attempted to cross the border illegally in 2024. It was nearly 4,000 more than in the previous year. In 2021, due to the actions of Alexander Lukashenko's government, a migration crisis was initiated on Belarus's border with the European Union. The Belarusian authorities contributed by organizing the transfer of refugees and immigrants from Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries of the Middle East and Africa across the Belarusian-Lithuanian and Belarusian-Polish-Latvian borders. These actions were meant to respond to EU sanctions against Belarus caused by the rigged presidential election in 2020 and the repression of oppositionists.

The largest number of immigrants in Germany were from Ukraine, as of 2023. The top three origin countries were rounded up by Romania and Turkey. Immigrants are defined as having left a country, which may be their home country, to permanently reside in another. Upon arriving, immigrants do not hold the citizenship of the country they move to. Immigration in the EU All three aforementioned countries are members of the European Union, which means their citizens have freedom of movement between EU member states. In practice, this means that citizens of any EU member country may relocate between them to live and work there. Unrestricted by visas or residence permits, the search for university courses, jobs, retirement options, and places to live seems to be defined by an enormous amount of choice. However, even in this freedom of movement scheme, immigration may be hampered by bureaucratic hurdles or financial challenges. Prosperity with a question mark While Germany continues to be an attractive destination for foreigners both in and outside the European Union, as well as asylum applicants, it remains to be seen how current events might influence these patterns, whether the number of immigrants arriving from certain countries will shift. Europe’s largest economy is suffering. Climbing inflation levels in the last few months, as well as remaining difficulties from the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are affecting global economic development. Ultimately, future immigrants may face the fact of moving from one struggling economy to another.

In 2024, the European country registering the largest number of migrants' arrivals was Italy. As of October 2024, 53,000 immigrants reached the Italian peninsula by sea. Spain had the second-largest number of arrivals by sea, 42,000 immigrants, both from the Wester Mediterranean route and the Wester African Atlantic route. Bulgaria was the country registering the largest number of arrivals by land 6,340.

In 2024, the net migration rate in France reached 152,000. 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 201,000. Armed conflicts and economic migration are some of the reasons for immigration in Europe. The refugee crisis Studies have shown that there were 331,000 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 885,386 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 8.9 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.

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.

It was during the term of US President Joe Biden that the most Brazilians were deported from the United States. Between 2021 and 2024, 7,168 Brazilians were deported.

For the year ending June 2024, approximately 1.2 million people migrated to the United Kingdom, while 479,000 people migrated from the UK, resulting in a net migration figure of 728,000. 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 next UK election Throughout 2023, immigration, along with the economy and healthcare, was consistently 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, the current government is losing the trust of the public on this issue. As of February 2024, 20 percent of Britons thought the Labour Party would be the best party to handle immigration, compared with 16 percent who thought the Conservatives would handle it better. With the next UK election expected at some point in 2024, the Conservatives are battling to improve their public image on this and many other issues. 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 labor 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.

More than a quarter of new permanent residents arriving in Canada in 2024 were from India - by far the highest of any country. Less than seven percent will be from China, the second highest.

In the year ending June 2024, approximately 1.03 million people from outside the European Union migrated to the United Kingdom, compared with 116,000 people from European Union countries, and 58,000 British nationals.

This statistic shows the total population of Saudi Arabia from 2019 to 2022, with projections up until 2029. In 2022, Saudi Arabia's total population amounted to 32.18 million inhabitants.

Population of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, the second largest Arab state, is a nation in development. As a result of the economic stability, gross domestic product (GDP) has grown by about 520 billion U.S. dollars over the past decade. This comes as a result of Saudi Arabia’s positive trade balance and the fact that Saudi Arabia exports about 2.5 times more goods than it imports. Therefore, it is no surprise that Saudi Arabia has constantly had a very high GDP growth in the past decade.

In a developing country, there is a tendency for the population to move to more urban cities where the employment rates are higher. The degree of urbanization in Saudi Arabia has grown by around 2 percent from 2002 to 2012. Some of the biggest cities in Saudi Arabia have witnessed the urbanization changes first-hand. The capital of Saudi Arabia and the biggest city, Ar-Riyad, is home to about five million inhabitants. However, the high number of illegal immigrants in Saudi Arabia also accounts for the total population. More awareness to health risks and better living conditions have increased the life expectancy at birth in Saudi Arabia by about 3 years in the last decade. With a rapidly growing total population, it has grown by around 8 million inhabitants over the past decade, the government has set some rules to avoid overcrowding and overpopulation. The fertility rate in Saudi has steadily decreased over the past years in order to attempt to control the rapidly growing population.

According to a survey conducted in December 2024, around 39 percent of Americans had a very unfavorable view of Donald Trump, while 30 percent of Americans held a very favorable view. Donald Trump was elected President of the United States in November 2024. The former president will be sworn in for a second term on January 20, 2025. Shifting perceptions of trustworthiness Despite the significant portion of Americans who view Trump unfavorably, his perceived trustworthiness has shown improvement over time. A September 2024 survey found that 41 percent of registered voters considered Trump honest and trustworthy, marking an increase from 38 percent in 2016. Policy proposals and partisan support Trump's policy proposals have continued to garner strong support from his Republican base while facing opposition from Democrats. An August 2024 survey showed roughly 85 percent of Republicans backing Trump's plan to arrest and deport thousands of illegal immigrants, compared to only 22 percent of Democrats. This stark partisan divide on key policy issues reflects the broader polarization in Trump's favorability ratings.