Demographic shifts and economic disparities linked to immigration in Europe

Demographic data indicates significant shifts in European populations due to immigration. In Sweden, approximately 40 percent of children under the age of five have one or two parents born abroad. In the city of Malmö, individuals with foreign backgrounds—defined as being born abroad or having at least one foreign-born parent—constitute 57.54 percent of the population, with the figure rising to over 64 percent for children aged 0–14.

In Europe more broadly, the population with an immigrant background grew from 44.3 million in 2015 to 64.7 million in 2025, averaging an increase of two million people annually.

In Norway, a report from the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi) highlights economic disparities within immigrant communities. Between 2022 and 2024, 47 percent of children who immigrated to Norway lived in households with persistent low income. Among Norwegian-born children with immigrant parents, this figure was 25 percent, compared to only 5 percent for the rest of the population. Additionally, unemployment rates among immigrants were recorded at 4.8 percent in May 2026, which is four times higher than the 1.2 percent rate for the general population.