In 2023, approximately 4.4 million immigrants from outside the EU arrived in EU Member States, representing a nearly 18% decrease compared with the record year 2022. This should not be seen as a collapse of migration but rather a stabilisation after a period of exceptionally intense flows, driven largely by geopolitical events and the rebound in mobility following the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Migration from outside the EU remains the dominant source of population inflows to most Member States. In practice, third‑country nationals are the primary contributors to European labour markets, education systems and demographic trends.
The largest destination countries for migration from outside the EU in 2023 were:
Together, these five countries accounted for around 65% of all non‑EU migration to the EU in 2023 — roughly proportional to their share of the EU population (about 66%).
Although public debate in Europe sometimes portrays Poland as a country with a low share of foreigners in the population, Eurostat data show that Poland is one of the important countries receiving migrants from outside the EU. In 2023, about 206,000 non‑EU immigrants arrived in Poland, placing it among the top EU Member States. At the same time, Poland ranks third in the EU for the number of first residence permits issued to third‑country nationals, behind only Spain and Germany.
However, despite this high inflow, the share of foreigners in Poland’s total population remains relatively low — around 1.2%, well below the EU average. This indicates that migration in Poland is primarily functional and labour‑market‑driven, rather than settlement‑oriented in the classical sense.
Eurostat data show that employment is the most common reason for issuing first residence permits in the EU. In 2024, about 32% of all first residence permits in the EU were granted for the purpose of employment, while in Poland the figure was about 69%.
For Poland, this trend is particularly significant. Labour migrants:
At the same time, there has been an overall decrease in the number of first residence permits issued in the EU by around 8%, which may signal tighter migration policies and greater selectivity by Member States, including Poland. The requirements for third‑country nationals seeking to work in Poland (and the EU more broadly) are becoming more stringent, suggesting that the number of first permits might continue to decline slightly before stabilising, provided that no major regulatory tightening or external geopolitical or economic shocks occur.
An interesting aspect highlighted by Eurostat data is the demographic structure of the EU compared with migrant populations. Across the EU, foreigners now make up nearly 10% of the population, of which over 6% are non‑EU citizens. In some Member States — such as Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus — the share of foreigners exceeds dozens of percent, with significant proportions of both EU and non‑EU citizens among them.
Poland remains an exception in this respect, with about 1.2% of the population consisting of foreigners, and only about 0.1% from outside the EU. This indicates that:
Overall EU trends also show that the EU population is ageing: the largest age group is 45‑64 years, and the share of those 65 and over is relatively high, while younger age groups (children and youth) represent a smaller share. Meanwhile, migrants tend to be younger and economically active, with most aged 20‑44, suggesting that migration flows are dominated by working‑age individuals rather than family or retirement migration.
Although migrants help alleviate the effects of population ageing in the EU, they do not fully offset the demographic decline. Instead, they act as a significant buffer for the shrinking working‑age population, which will continue to decrease over time.
From a business and HR perspective, Eurostat data lead to several key conclusions:
Europe remains one of the most important migration destinations in the world, and non‑EU migration is today a key factor stabilising labour markets. Poland, despite a relatively low share of foreigners in its population, plays an increasingly significant role as a destination for labour migrants. The Eurostat data clearly show that the future of the labour market — both in Poland and across the EU — will depend largely on a thoughtful, well‑managed approach to migration that balances economic needs, systemic security and procedural predictability.
