Unauthorized Immigrants in Europe – At least 3.9 million unauthorized immigrants – and possibly as many as 4.8 million

At least 3.9 million unauthorized immigrants – and possibly as many as 4.8 million – lived in Europe in 2017, according to new Pew Research Center estimates. These totals are up from Center estimates for 2014, when between 3.0 million and 3.7 million unauthorized migrants resided in European nations, but are little changed from the recent peak of 4.1 million to 5.3 million in 2016.

This is the first time Pew Research Center has estimated the size of Europe’s unauthorized immigrant population and the first comprehensive European estimate in a decade. The new estimates are based on data from the 28 European Union member states and from four additional European Free Trade Association (EFTA) nations: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Even with the growth of the unauthorized immigrant population in EU-EFTA countries since 2014, unauthorized immigrants in 2017 accounted for less than 1% of Europe’s total population of more than 500 million. Among immigrants in Europe, there were four times as many authorized immigrants from outside the EU-EFTA as there were unauthorized immigrants.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at Summary of findings: Europe’s Unauthorized Immigrant Population Peaks in 2016, Then Levels Off | Pew Research Center