How European and U.S. unauthorized immigrant populations compare
The size of Europe’s unauthorized immigrant population in 2017 was less than half the number in the United States.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The size of Europe’s unauthorized immigrant population in 2017 was less than half the number in the United States.
As the number of international migrants reaches new highs, people around the world show little appetite for more migration – both into and out of their countries.
More people sought asylum in Canada in 2017 than at any point in at least a quarter-century. Furthermore, the 50,420 asylum applications Canada received in 2017 were more than double the number in 2016.
The number of Muslim refugees admitted to the U.S. in the first half of fiscal 2018 has dropped from the previous year more than any other religious group.
Entries from the affected countries made up about 0.1% of the more than 517 million total entries to the U.S. between fiscal years 2006 and 2015.
The seven nations affected by a new executive order suspending refugee admissions accounted for 904,415 legal U.S. entries between fiscal years 2006 and 2015.
The Obama administration’s goal of receiving 110,000 refugees in fiscal 2017 is significantly higher than last year’s target of 85,000.
With the number of displaced people in the world at more than 60 million in 2015, the plight of refugees has gained new prominence.
The UK has the fifth-largest immigrant population in the world, at 8.5 million.
The recent historic migration surge into Europe has led to a large jump in the immigrant share of populations in many European nations, with the notable exceptions of the UK and France, which saw more modest increases.
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