When non-Americans think about the United States and immigration, they are inevitably reminded of the title of John F. Kennedy’s 1958 book A Nation of Immigrants. Indeed, the history of America is closely intertwined with migration, which has fundamentally and repeatedly reshaped the demographic and political make-up of the country. Equally intertwined is the debate over migration, which continues to dominate public discussion in the United States—as evidenced by President Trump’s re-election on the cornerstone issue of illegal immigration.
Europe, on the other hand, is often thought of as a collection of homogeneous nation-states. Despite the obvious increase of immigrants, European immigration levels are rarely compared to the transformative nature of America’s, which would turn European countries into ‘nations of immigrants.’ Even when talking to those deeply opposed to immigration, the comparison between European and American immigration is often considered an exaggeration.
The numbers, however, tell a different story. According to research conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies, by the closing month of the Biden administration in January 2025, there were approximately 53.3 million foreign-born individuals residing in the United States. This was a historical record not only in absolute terms but also in percentage as well: America’s foreign population had never before reached 15.8%, not even during the great wave of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the influx peaked at 14.8%. In fact, largely as a response to this wave, when the United States radically reduced immigration in 1924, this figure fell below 5% by the time the country reopened its borders at the end of the 1960s.
Compare this with similar data from Europe. As of January 1, 2024, the EU had a foreign-born population of 44.7 million people, accounting for 9.9% of the total population, not including EU citizens living in other member states. Furthermore, by 2024 seven EU member states had foreign populations close to or exceeding the US’s historic levels: Malta (23.6%), Luxembourg (18.1%), Cyprus (17.6%), Ireland (16%), Estonia (15.9%), Sweden (15.3%) and Spain (14.9%) have all reached unprecedented levels of foreign-born population. Additionally, a further eight member states (Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Croatia, Latvia, Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia) have a non-EU foreign population of over 10%.
The dramatic nature of these percentages is matched only by the speed with which these transformations took place. Sweden, for example, was an ethnically homogeneous society up to the mid-20th century. By 2024, however, less than two-thirds of the population were ethnic Swedes. Today, one in five Swedish residents was born abroad, and of these 2.1 million people, 1.6 million came from non-EU countries—198,000 from Syria, 147,000 from Iraq, 85,000 from Iran, 69,000 from Somalia, and 66,000 from Afghanistan. From 2010 to 2013 alone, Sweden’s immigrant population increased by a startling 800,000.
Portugal is a similar case study. Despite its lengthy colonial history, the proportion of immigrants in Portugal was around or below 1% until the 1990s, and even by the early 2000s, immigrants accounted for only 2.5% of the population. However, over the course of just two decades, Portugal’s foreign population skyrocketed to 662,000 by 2020. Even more astonishing, due to a relaxed immigration policy, this number more than doubled to 1.5 million by 2024, exceeding 15% of the population. Interestingly, while Portugal does host a large number of immigrants from former Portuguese colonies (Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde), there has also been an explosion of Indian, Bangladeshi, and Ukrainian citizens in the country.
Putting all of Europe’s immigration data together, it is clear that comparing Europe’s immigration with the fundamentally altering waves of American immigration is no exaggeration. For some, such as those who desire a ‘United States of Europe,’ these statistics are welcome news. But Europe must not forget that it is fundamentally different from America. Europe is the home of nations whose fixed historical, cultural, religious, linguistic, and political traditions go back hundreds or even thousands of years. These nations have storied histories, often written in blood and war, and now large proportions of their population are recent arrivals who took no part in their host country’s nation-building and have no stake in its continuation. For many immigrants, their new country’s history is some other people’s story in which they do not wish to become involved. Instead, they prefer to keep their home country’s story or build an isolated and closed-off community in Europe. Despite what many might hope, these developments, as rapid and expansive as they are, do not point towards unity but to discord and perpetual generation of future problems.
Europe: The New Nations of Immigrants?
Migrants disembarking from a boat sit on the ground at La Restinga dock, in the municipality of El Pinar on the Canary Island of El Hierro, on October 26, 2023.
STRINGER / AFP
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When non-Americans think about the United States and immigration, they are inevitably reminded of the title of John F. Kennedy’s 1958 book A Nation of Immigrants. Indeed, the history of America is closely intertwined with migration, which has fundamentally and repeatedly reshaped the demographic and political make-up of the country. Equally intertwined is the debate over migration, which continues to dominate public discussion in the United States—as evidenced by President Trump’s re-election on the cornerstone issue of illegal immigration.
Europe, on the other hand, is often thought of as a collection of homogeneous nation-states. Despite the obvious increase of immigrants, European immigration levels are rarely compared to the transformative nature of America’s, which would turn European countries into ‘nations of immigrants.’ Even when talking to those deeply opposed to immigration, the comparison between European and American immigration is often considered an exaggeration.
The numbers, however, tell a different story. According to research conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies, by the closing month of the Biden administration in January 2025, there were approximately 53.3 million foreign-born individuals residing in the United States. This was a historical record not only in absolute terms but also in percentage as well: America’s foreign population had never before reached 15.8%, not even during the great wave of immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the influx peaked at 14.8%. In fact, largely as a response to this wave, when the United States radically reduced immigration in 1924, this figure fell below 5% by the time the country reopened its borders at the end of the 1960s.
Compare this with similar data from Europe. As of January 1, 2024, the EU had a foreign-born population of 44.7 million people, accounting for 9.9% of the total population, not including EU citizens living in other member states. Furthermore, by 2024 seven EU member states had foreign populations close to or exceeding the US’s historic levels: Malta (23.6%), Luxembourg (18.1%), Cyprus (17.6%), Ireland (16%), Estonia (15.9%), Sweden (15.3%) and Spain (14.9%) have all reached unprecedented levels of foreign-born population. Additionally, a further eight member states (Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Croatia, Latvia, Germany, Portugal, and Slovenia) have a non-EU foreign population of over 10%.
The dramatic nature of these percentages is matched only by the speed with which these transformations took place. Sweden, for example, was an ethnically homogeneous society up to the mid-20th century. By 2024, however, less than two-thirds of the population were ethnic Swedes. Today, one in five Swedish residents was born abroad, and of these 2.1 million people, 1.6 million came from non-EU countries—198,000 from Syria, 147,000 from Iraq, 85,000 from Iran, 69,000 from Somalia, and 66,000 from Afghanistan. From 2010 to 2013 alone, Sweden’s immigrant population increased by a startling 800,000.
Portugal is a similar case study. Despite its lengthy colonial history, the proportion of immigrants in Portugal was around or below 1% until the 1990s, and even by the early 2000s, immigrants accounted for only 2.5% of the population. However, over the course of just two decades, Portugal’s foreign population skyrocketed to 662,000 by 2020. Even more astonishing, due to a relaxed immigration policy, this number more than doubled to 1.5 million by 2024, exceeding 15% of the population. Interestingly, while Portugal does host a large number of immigrants from former Portuguese colonies (Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde), there has also been an explosion of Indian, Bangladeshi, and Ukrainian citizens in the country.
Putting all of Europe’s immigration data together, it is clear that comparing Europe’s immigration with the fundamentally altering waves of American immigration is no exaggeration. For some, such as those who desire a ‘United States of Europe,’ these statistics are welcome news. But Europe must not forget that it is fundamentally different from America. Europe is the home of nations whose fixed historical, cultural, religious, linguistic, and political traditions go back hundreds or even thousands of years. These nations have storied histories, often written in blood and war, and now large proportions of their population are recent arrivals who took no part in their host country’s nation-building and have no stake in its continuation. For many immigrants, their new country’s history is some other people’s story in which they do not wish to become involved. Instead, they prefer to keep their home country’s story or build an isolated and closed-off community in Europe. Despite what many might hope, these developments, as rapid and expansive as they are, do not point towards unity but to discord and perpetual generation of future problems.
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