ABS · OFS · StatCan · DST · Eurostat · OECD — Primary Sources Only
Share of Immigrants in the Population
20-Country Official Data
Australia 32% to Italy 9.1%: the latest official data from 20 national statistics agencies. Definitions vary ("foreign-born", "foreign nationals", "migration background") — direct comparison requires care.
32.0%
Highest: Australia (2025, foreign-born share of population)
9.1%
Lowest in this comparison: Italy (2024, foreign nationals share)
Netherlands and Germany are shown as reference figures only (grey bars) — their definitions are not directly comparable to the other countries. Germany's 25.6% (Migrationshintergrund) includes anyone with at least one foreign-born parent, making it broader than foreign-born or foreign-national measures. The Netherlands figure (approx. 13.5%) is a provisional estimate following CBS's 2024 methodology change.
Key Methodological Notes
- Foreign-born vs. foreign nationals: "Foreign-born" (Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, UK, USA, France, etc.) counts place of birth and includes naturalised immigrants. "Foreign nationals" (Switzerland, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Czechia, etc.) counts current citizenship and excludes those who have naturalised. As a result, "foreign-born" figures are generally higher than "foreign national" figures for the same country.
- Norway's narrow definition: Statistics Norway (SSB) defines "immigrants" (innvandrere) as persons where both parents were born abroad and who were themselves born abroad. This is narrower than most "foreign-born" definitions used elsewhere, which may include persons with only one foreign-born parent.
- Denmark's two-tier count: Statistics Denmark (DST) separately tracks "immigrants" (indvandrere, 12.6%) and "descendants" (efterkommere, 3.7%). The combined figure is 16.3%. This chart uses the immigrants-only figure for consistency with other countries' first-generation measures.
- Germany's migration background: Destatis/Mikrozensus reports 25.6% of the population had a "migration background" (Migrationshintergrund) in 2024 — meaning the person themselves, or at least one parent, was an immigrant or foreign-born. This broader definition is not comparable to the foreign-national or foreign-born measures used by other countries in this comparison.
- Netherlands — methodology change: CBS (Statistics Netherlands) discontinued the "migration background" (migratieachtergrond) classification in 2024. A comparable, up-to-date foreign-born or foreign-national share could not be confirmed from primary sources for this edition.
- Belgium's layered count: Statbel counts three groups: Belgians of Belgian origin (63.4%), Belgians of foreign origin (22.8%), and non-Belgian nationals (13.8%). This page uses the 13.8% non-Belgian nationals figure. The combined "foreign-origin" population (Belgians of foreign origin + non-Belgians) reaches 36.6%.
- Canada — data lag: The 23.0% figure reflects the 2021 Census. Since then, Canada experienced record population growth (3.2% in 2023), with 97.6% of that growth attributable to international migration. The current share is likely higher but has not yet been confirmed by a new census.
Country-by-Country Data
| Country | Share | Definition used | Reference year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 32.0% | Foreign-born | June 2025 | ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) |
| New Zealand | 28.8% | Foreign-born | 2023 Census | Stats NZ |
| Switzerland | 27.7% | Foreign nationals (permanent residents) | December 2025 | FSO (Federal Statistical Office) |
| Canada | 23.0% | Immigrants | 2021 Census | Statistics Canada |
| Sweden | 21.0% | Foreign-born | December 2024 | Statistics Sweden (SCB) |
| Austria | 20.5% | Foreign nationals | April 2026 | Statistics Austria |
| United Kingdom | 19.0% | Foreign-born | June 2024 (ONS estimate) | ONS (Office for National Statistics) |
| Norway | 17.5% | Immigrants (both parents foreign-born) | January 2026 | SSB (Statistics Norway) |
| United States | 14.3% | Foreign-born | 2023 (ACS) | US Census Bureau |
| Portugal | 14.0% | Foreign nationals | December 2025 | INE (Statistics Portugal) |
| Spain | 13.96% | Foreign nationals | January 2025 | INE (National Statistics Institute of Spain) |
| Belgium | 13.8% | Non-Belgian nationals | January 2026 | Statbel |
| Denmark | 12.6% | Immigrants (descendants 3.7% tracked separately) | January 2025 | Statistics Denmark (DST) |
| Ireland | 12.0% | Non-Irish nationals | 2022 Census | CSO (Central Statistics Office) |
| Finland | 11.7% | Foreign-origin (1st & 2nd generation) | December 2025 | Statistics Finland |
| France | 11.3% | Foreign-born (immigrants) | 2024 (provisional) | INSEE |
| Czechia | 10.38% | Foreign nationals | December 2025 | Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ) |
| Italy | 9.1% | Foreign nationals | December 2024 | ISTAT |
| Netherlands | ~13.5% (ref.) | Foreign-born (provisional estimate) — methodology changed in 2024, not directly comparable | 2023 estimate | CBS (Statistics Netherlands) |
| Germany | 25.6% (ref. only) | Migration background (Migrationshintergrund) — see note | 2024 (Mikrozensus) | Destatis |
* Germany's "migration background" figure includes persons where at least one parent was an immigrant or foreign-born — a broader definition not comparable to foreign-national or foreign-born measures used by other countries.
* Netherlands: CBS discontinued the "migratieachtergrond" classification in 2024; a comparable current figure could not be confirmed.
What this data does not show
- The definition of "immigrant" varies by country (foreign-born vs foreign national vs immigrant background). This page uses each country's official definition.
- A high population share does not directly indicate policy success or failure. Historical, geographical, and economic factors shape each country's level.
- The composition of the immigrant population (labour, refugee, family, student) differs greatly by country and is as important as the share figure itself.