But where did they come from and how has this number changed over the last decade?
Using data from Eurostat, we tracked the number of first-time residence permits issued to non-EU nationals in 2013, 2018, and 2023. Data is for EU28 (i.e. including the UK) for 2013 and 2018, and 2023 data is for EU27 for post-Brexit.
EU Resident Permits Issued in 2023, by Country
Even prior to the Russian invasion in 2022, the largest group of people moving into the EU were Ukrainians—a trend going back as far as 2013, when data collection began.
| Rank | # EU Resident Permits (2013) |
# EU Resident Permits (2018) |
# EU Resident Permits (2023) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ukraine (229,021) |
Ukraine (634,164) |
Ukraine (307,313) |
| 2 |  Morocco (100,326) |
 Syria (171,738) |
 Belarus (281,279) |
| 3 |  China (92,589) |
Morocco (125,773) |
 India (207,966) |
| 4 | Belarus (75,714) |
India (118,828) |
Morocco (179,195) |
| 5 |  U.S. (66,219) |
China (103,007) |
Syria (168,667) |
| 6 |  Russia (62,757) |
 Brazil (79,073) |
 Türkiye (122,128) |
| 7 | India (60,873) |
U.S. (75,879) |
Russia (115,651) |
| 8 | Türkiye (53,026) |
 Afghanistan (71,374) |
China (107,680) |
| 9 | Brazil (45,564) |
Türkiye (68,465) |
Brazil (91,543) |
| 10 | Syria (39,195) |
Russia (66,865) |
Afghanistan (90,118) |
| N/A |  EU Total (1.6M) |
EU Total (2.8M) |
EU Total (3.7M) |
In fact, peak resident permits issued to Ukrainians happened in 2015—a year after the Crimea occupation. By 2023 it had come down to 307,000 people.
Nevertheless, this decade-long westward migration is leading to population declines within the country. In 2023 Ukraine had 28% fewer people within its borders than when the Berlin Wall fell in 1990.
Other parts of Eastern Europe are also top sources for EU immigrants in 2023, including Belarus (281,000) and Russia (116,000).
And Asia is also seeing a surge of EU-bound nationals—particularly India who was ranked 7th in 2013 and now 3rd in 2023.
Meanwhile, resident permits have increased for immigrants from Syria and Afghanistan—countries facing ongoing civil wars—as their living conditions have deteriorated.
