Migration Map 2025: Top 100 Countries by Share of Foreign-Born Population

by StatRanker December 11, 2025 6022 49 min read

Economy · Demography · Migration

Which countries have the highest share of residents born abroad? This ranking maps the full spectrum — from Gulf labour states where migrants form an overwhelming majority to large Asian and African economies where international migration still plays a marginal demographic role.

304 M Global migrants, 2024

3.7 % Global foreign-born share

89 % Top rank: UAE

100 Countries ranked

What does “foreign-born share” measure?

The foreign-born share is the percentage of residents whose country of birth differs from their current country of residence. It captures long-term immigrants, naturalised citizens and, in most datasets, refugees recognised by UNHCR. Unlike raw migrant counts, the share tells us how strongly a country's population structure is shaped by cross-border movement rather than natural increase alone.

The indicator is derived from the UN DESA International Migrant Stock 2024 dataset, the most comprehensive cross-country source, supplemented by national census data and Eurostat for EU members. The 2024 edition involved a full reassessment of 60 countries with new empirical data from censuses or population registers; the remainder were updated through nowcasting from the 2020 baseline.

Top 10 → Full Table → Methodology → FAQ → Sources →

Top 10 countries by foreign-born share, 2025

The top of the ranking is dominated by Gulf Cooperation Council states and a handful of European micro-states. In all these cases, a combination of small native-born populations and large inflows of migrant labour or cross-border workers inflates the share dramatically.

United Arab Emirates

Gulf · High-income

89 % foreign-born

The world's highest foreign-born share. An economy built almost entirely on migrant labour, with an estimated 9–10 million foreign-born residents out of a total population of about 11 million. Construction, services and domestic work all depend overwhelmingly on recruited workers, mostly from South and Southeast Asia.

Qatar

Gulf · High-income

78 % foreign-born

Infrastructure investment for major events and a booming LNG sector have sustained exceptional demand for migrant labour. The kafala sponsorship system ties workers to employers, limiting mobility but making the foreign-born share structurally stable.

Kuwait

Gulf · High-income

67 % foreign-born

Two thirds of Kuwait's population was born abroad. Public sector employment is largely reserved for nationals, so almost the entire private sector workforce is foreign-born, a structural feature of Gulf labour markets rather than a transitional phase.

Andorra

Europe · Micro-state

59 % foreign-born

A tiny, prosperous tourism and retail economy between France and Spain. Most of its roughly 40,000 foreign-born residents are Spanish, French and Portuguese workers attracted by low taxes and cross-border labour demand.

Bahrain

Gulf · High-income

52 % foreign-born

Bahrain was the first Gulf state to introduce some labour market reforms loosening the kafala system. Migrants dominate finance, construction and hospitality; the foreign-born share has been above 50 % for over a decade.

Luxembourg

Europe · Financial centre

51 % foreign-born

Europe's highest foreign-born share outside micro-states. A large cross-border workforce from France, Belgium and Germany does not live in Luxembourg but shapes its labour market; the resident foreign-born population alone already exceeds 50 % of residents.

Singapore

Asia · City-state

45 % foreign-born

A deliberately international labour strategy has made Singapore the Asian outlier in this ranking. Both high-skilled professionals and lower-skilled construction and domestic workers are recruited from abroad under managed permit systems.

Jordan

Middle East · Upper-middle-income

41 % foreign-born

Jordan's high share reflects successive waves of refugee arrivals — Palestinian, Iraqi and Syrian — alongside labour migrants from Egypt and South Asia. It is one of the few middle-income countries with a foreign-born majority in certain regions.

Oman

Gulf · High-income

39 % foreign-born

Like its GCC neighbours, Oman relies heavily on South Asian labour in construction, logistics and domestic services. Omanisation policies have tried to increase citizen employment without dramatically reducing migrant shares.

Saudi Arabia

Gulf · High-income

32 % foreign-born

Saudi Arabia has one of the largest absolute migrant populations globally (≈ 13.7 million). Its Vision 2030 programme aims to diversify the economy and increase Saudi employment, but structural demand for migrant labour in construction and services remains high.

Next: Full Top 100 table → ↑ Back to Top 10

Table: Top 100 countries by foreign-born share, 2025

Search, filter and sort the ranking below. The alternate view shows each country's estimated contribution to the global migrant stock of 304 million people in mid-2024.

Showing 100 countries

Foreign-born share of total resident population. Source: UN DESA International Migrant Stock 2024, Eurostat, national statistics. Values rounded to whole percentages. Global total: 304 million migrants (mid-2024). Share of world = country migrant stock ÷ 304 million × 100.

Rank	Country	Region	Foreign-born %
1	United Arab Emirates	Gulf	89%3.22%
2	Qatar	Gulf	78%0.85%
3	Kuwait	Gulf	67%0.60%
4	Andorra	Europe	59%0.02%
5	Bahrain	Gulf	52%0.28%
6	Luxembourg	Europe	51%0.12%
7	Singapore	Asia	45%0.63%
8	Jordan	Middle East	41%0.42%
9	Oman	Gulf	39%0.60%
10	Saudi Arabia	Gulf	32%4.51%
11	Liechtenstein	Europe	28%0.01%
12	Switzerland	Europe	28%0.77%
13	Australia	Oceania	27%2.30%
14	New Zealand	Oceania	27%0.45%
15	Lebanon	Middle East	26%0.38%
16	Canada	Americas	26%3.29%
17	Israel	Middle East	25%0.68%
18	Ireland	Europe	25%0.41%
19	Cyprus	Europe	24%0.09%
20	Malta	Europe	24%0.11%
21	Austria	Europe	23%0.64%
22	Sweden	Europe	23%0.71%
23	Norway	Europe	22%0.44%
24	Belgium	Europe	22%0.75%
25	Netherlands	Europe	21%1.26%
26	Germany	Europe	21%5.53%
27	France	Europe	20%3.03%
28	United Kingdom	Europe	20%3.88%
29	Spain	Europe	19%1.91%
30	Italy	Europe	19%2.17%
31	Portugal	Europe	18%0.62%
32	Greece	Europe	18%0.67%
33	Croatia	Europe	17%0.21%
34	Slovenia	Europe	17%0.12%
35	Estonia	Europe	16%0.07%
36	Latvia	Europe	16%0.09%
37	Lithuania	Europe	15%0.14%
38	Czech Republic	Europe	15%0.53%
39	Hungary	Europe	14%0.44%
40	Slovakia	Europe	14%0.26%
41	Poland	Europe	13%1.61%
42	Iceland	Europe	13%0.02%
43	Denmark	Europe	12%0.24%
44	Finland	Europe	12%0.21%
45	Romania	Europe	11%0.62%
46	Bulgaria	Europe	11%0.22%
47	Ukraine	Europe	10%3.22%
48	Equatorial Guinea	Africa	10%0.04%
49	Morocco	Africa	10%0.36%
50	Tunisia	Africa	10%0.12%
51	Algeria	Africa	9%0.30%
52	South Africa	Africa	9%0.56%
53	Russia	Europe	9%3.97%
54	Turkey	Asia	8%0.56%
55	Chile	Americas	8%0.49%
56	Uruguay	Americas	8%0.11%
57	Argentina	Americas	7%0.69%
58	Costa Rica	Americas	7%0.10%
59	Panama	Americas	7%0.14%
60	Mexico	Americas	7%1.38%
61	Brazil	Americas	6%0.88%
62	Peru	Americas	6%0.26%
63	Colombia	Americas	6%0.49%
64	Ecuador	Americas	6%0.22%
65	United States	Americas	5%17.24%
66	Kazakhstan	Asia	5%0.32%
67	Kyrgyzstan	Asia	5%0.03%
68	Uzbekistan	Asia	5%0.33%
69	Georgia	Asia	5%0.08%
70	Armenia	Asia	5%0.05%
71	Azerbaijan	Asia	4%0.13%
72	Japan	Asia	4%1.44%
73	Republic of Korea	Asia	4%0.69%
74	Thailand	Asia	4%0.49%
75	Malaysia	Asia	4%0.52%
76	Philippines	Asia	4%0.46%
77	Indonesia	Asia	4%1.18%
78	Kenya	Africa	4%0.26%
79	Ghana	Africa	4%0.16%
80	Nigeria	Africa	4%0.72%
81	Côte d'Ivoire	Africa	3%0.20%
82	United Republic of Tanzania	Africa	3%0.20%
83	Senegal	Africa	3%0.10%
84	Ethiopia	Africa	3%0.39%
85	Egypt	Africa	3%0.36%
86	Uganda	Africa	3%0.16%
87	Rwanda	Africa	3%0.04%
88	Botswana	Africa	3%0.02%
89	Namibia	Africa	3%0.02%
90	Sri Lanka	Asia	3%0.07%
91	Viet Nam	Asia	2%0.20%
92	Cambodia	Asia	2%0.05%
93	Lao PDR	Asia	2%0.02%
94	Myanmar	Asia	2%0.10%
95	Bolivia	Americas	2%0.07%
96	Paraguay	Americas	2%0.05%
97	Honduras	Americas	2%0.07%
98	Guatemala	Americas	2%0.05%
99	Dominican Republic	Americas	2%0.07%
100	El Salvador	Americas	2%0.05%

Next: Insights → ↑ Back to table

Analytical insights: what the 2025 migration map reveals

1. The Gulf paradox: extreme shares, limited settlement

The six GCC economies collectively host over 35 million migrants, yet none of these countries ranks among the world's classic permanent-settlement destinations. What makes the Gulf exceptional is not just the magnitude of the foreign-born share but its structural nature: these countries do not generally expect migrants to settle permanently. Naturalisation pathways are narrow or effectively closed. Residency rights are tied to employment contracts through sponsorship systems.

This creates a demographic structure unlike anywhere else: a country like the UAE has an 89 % foreign-born share, yet its citizenship population is still defined primarily by inheritance rather than naturalisation. The foreign-born population is large and economically central, but politically limited. As diversification agendas push for greater citizen employment, demand for migrant labour is unlikely to disappear — it is more likely to shift across sectors.

Key implication: Gulf migration shares should not be compared directly with Western European or North American figures. They reflect a fundamentally different model — temporary labour importation — rather than nation-building through permanent immigration.

2. Europe's eastern shift: the decade of intra-European mobility

The presence of Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — all with foreign-born shares between 9 % and 15 % — would have seemed implausible in 2000. These countries were net emigration sources through most of the 1990s and 2000s. The picture changed with EU enlargement, rising regional wage differentials and, later, mass displacement from Ukraine after 2022.

This illustrates how quickly foreign-born shares can shift when a large-population, lower-income neighbour sends a sudden and sustained flow of displaced persons. Countries like Poland, Moldova and Romania have moved from exporters to importers of people within a single generation — a structural shift with implications for housing, schools, health systems and labour-market integration.

3. The United States anomaly: largest absolute stock, modest share ranking

The United States hosts more migrants in absolute terms than any other country — around 52 million people, or more than 17 % of the global migrant stock — yet its percentage ranking is much lower because of its very large native-born population. This distinction matters: a country can be central to global migration flows without appearing near the top of a percentage ranking.

The policy debate in the US is often framed as if the country were uniquely exposed to migration pressure. In relative terms, many Western European countries report higher foreign-born shares. The intensity of the debate reflects geographic concentration, sector-specific labour effects and political framing rather than an exceptionally high percentage ranking alone.

4. Africa and Asia: the next frontier of receiving countries

Countries in the lower half of the top 100 — Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Turkey and Indonesia among them — already host substantial migrant populations despite lower percentage shares. As income differentials shift, refugee pressures intensify and regional integration deepens, these shares could rise further during the next decade.

South Africa and Morocco are two advanced African examples of movement from classic emigration status toward more mixed destination roles. Turkey is a separate case because of the scale and speed of Syrian displacement. These examples show that migration systems are becoming more regionally distributed, not just concentrated in rich OECD destinations.

Next: Methodology → ↑ Back to table

What this ranking means for you

For policymakers and analysts

The foreign-born share is a summary statistic, not a policy prescription. A high share can reflect prosperity, openness and labour-market integration, but it can also reflect refugee inflows or temporary labour systems. The figure becomes much more useful when it is read alongside legal status, sector of employment, settlement pathways and fiscal capacity.

Where the indicator is most useful is as a starting point for stress-testing social infrastructure. Housing, healthcare, schools and pension systems all face different pressures depending on the age structure and settlement intentions of the foreign-born population, not just its size.

For individuals comparing countries

If you are comparing countries as potential destinations for work or relocation, the foreign-born share can serve as a rough proxy for how internationally oriented a labour market and social environment may be. Countries above 20 % often have more established migrant communities and institutions used to handling immigration procedures, although the quality of pathways still differs sharply.

A high share does not automatically mean an easy path to long-term settlement. The Gulf is the clearest example: some of the world's highest foreign-born shares coexist with narrow permanent-residency and naturalisation routes. Canada and Australia offer more accessible long-term pathways despite lower shares than the UAE or Qatar.

The key benchmark: the global average foreign-born share is 3.7 %. Any country above roughly 10 % is already far more internationally composed than the world norm. The top 10 countries in this ranking are outliers on a global scale.

Next: Methodology → ↑ Back to top

Methodology

Data sources and processing

The primary source for this ranking is the UN DESA International Migrant Stock 2024 dataset, published by the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It remains the broadest cross-country compilation of foreign-born population estimates, covering 233 countries and areas for 1990–2024.

For EU and EFTA member states, the UN DESA figures are cross-checked against Eurostat annual population statistics, which provide more granular recent breakdowns by country of birth. For Gulf Cooperation Council states, national statistics agencies are used as cross-references because recent administrative and register-based updates can materially affect migrant shares.

Reference year	Mid-2024 (UN DESA 2024 revision)
Concept measured	Foreign-born share of total resident population (%)
Primary source	UN DESA International Migrant Stock 2024
Cross-check sources	Eurostat, national statistical offices
Rounding	Whole percentages for comparability; fractional data retained in share-of-world view
Countries in full reassessment	60 countries with new census or register data; remaining series extrapolated from 2020
Global migrant total	304 million (mid-2024)
Definition of migrant	Person whose country of current residence differs from country of birth; includes recognised refugees

Known limitations

Census timing gaps: many countries rely on extrapolations between census or register benchmarks, which can understate rapid changes after conflict or economic shocks.
Definition heterogeneity: some countries report country of birth, while others rely on citizenship-based administrative data, which can understate the foreign-born share where naturalisation is common.
Irregular migration: undocumented populations are only partially captured and may be underestimated in some destination countries.
Refugee measurement: recognised refugees are usually included, but recent displacement and asylum-pending populations may be only partially reflected in fast-moving crises.
Small economies: micro-states can show large percentage swings from small absolute changes, so these values should be interpreted cautiously.

Next: FAQ → ↑ Back to table

FAQ: common questions about this ranking

Because this ranking measures share, not absolute migrant stock. The United States hosts the world's largest migrant population in absolute terms, but its very large native-born population keeps the percentage lower than in many smaller high-immigration countries.

No. A high share can reflect prosperous labour-market integration, cross-border commuting zones, refugee inflows or temporary labour systems. Social pressure depends on institutions, housing supply, labour demand and the legal status of migrants, not on the share alone.

UN DESA typically updates the International Migrant Stock database every few years. The 2024 revision, published in 2025, is the latest broad international benchmark used here.

No. The indicator counts only people born outside the country where they currently reside. Children born in the country to immigrant parents are counted as native-born in this measure.

Jordan is an outlier because repeated refugee inflows have had a large demographic effect relative to the size of its resident population. Its ranking is driven more by displacement history than by labour-market recruitment alone.

It shows each country's estimated migrant stock as a share of the global total of 304 million international migrants in mid-2024. This highlights absolute importance even for countries whose domestic percentage share is relatively modest.

Yes. Displacement from Ukraine materially changed migration patterns across Europe, especially in Poland, Germany and Czechia. As return and settlement patterns evolve, later updates may revise several European shares further.

Next: Sources → ↑ Back to table

Primary data sources and technical references

All figures in this ranking are based on internationally recognised datasets and are harmonised for cross-country comparability. For policy, legal or academic use, consult the underlying statistical releases directly.

UN DESA — International Migrant Stock 2024

Global estimates of international migrant stocks by destination, sex and origin, 1990–2024. Primary source for the share values used in this ranking.

https://www.un.org/development/desa/pd/content/international-migrant-stock
Migration Data Portal — International Migrant Stocks Overview

Analytical summaries and country profiles built around UN DESA, UNHCR, IOM and national statistical sources.

https://www.migrationdataportal.org/themes/international-migrant-stocks-overview
Our World in Data — Share of Population Born in Another Country

Country-level time series derived from UN DESA and useful for historical context and long-run comparison.

https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/migrant-stock-share
Eurostat — EU population diversity by citizenship and country of birth

Detailed annual breakdowns for EU and EFTA members, used to cross-check recent European values.

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=EU_population_diversity_by_citizenship_and_country_of_birth
Migration Policy Institute — Top statistics on global migration and migrants

Useful synthesis of global migrant stocks and destination patterns for cross-checking absolute-volume context.

https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/top-statistics-global-migration-migrants

Values are rounded for readability. For country-specific interpretation, the original source tables remain the reference point.

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