A new report has estimated the number of illegal immigrants present in 12 countries across Europe.
However, the true figure could be higher, as the report does not count asylum-seekers in its data.
It attempted to quantify the number of illegal immigrants in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the UK.
The report found that the UK was home to the most illegal immigrants of any country, with up to 745,000 illegal immigrants believed to be living in the country, accounting for one in 100 members of the population.
The estimated UK population was 68.3 million as of mid-2023.
The research, published on Oct. 7, estimated that the UK has more illegal immigrants than Germany (up to 700,000), Spain (469,000), Italy (458,000), and France (300,000).
Of the nations studied, Finland was found to have the smallest estimated illegal immigrant population, with up to 5,000 believed to be in the country.
Compared with a study from 2008, the research from MIrreM indicates that greater numbers of immigrants are now in Austria, Germany, and Spain than 16 years ago.
The estimated illegal immigrant population remained the same in four countries: Belgium, France, Italy, and the UK.
And in five countries, the illegal immigrant population declined: Finland, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland.
However, the report indicates that in those countries where the illegal immigrant population remained the same, regular migration has noticeably increased.
According to the report: “Over the periods in question, the estimated illegal immigrant population in Belgium, France, Italy and the UK remained constant in both number and as a share of the total population, but declined as a share of the foreign-born population.
“Put another way, the number of authorized immigrants who were born in countries outside of relevant free movement protocols grew faster than the total population and the estimated irregular migrant population in these countries since 2008.”
This matches figures published in Britain on Oct. 8 by the UK Office for National Statistics, which showed the population had increased by 1 percent in 2023, mainly due to immigration.
It also indicates that, across the continent, routes for migrant entry have shifted, which corroborates data from Frontex, the EU’s border and coast guard agency.
Particularly, the increase in Spain correlates with Frontex data showing a spike in entries via a route from West Africa to the Canary Islands.
The route has seen a 154 percent surge this year, with 30,616 people arriving in the Canaries in the first nine months, according to data from Frontex.
Spain estimates that as many as 150,000 more migrants from Africa may be set to make the crossing in the coming months.
Some believe this change is a result of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s clampdown on illegal immigrants traveling from Libya to Italy.
Meloni pledged to crack down on illegal immigration after taking office in 2022. She said she aimed to deter migrants from paying smugglers to ferry them across the Mediterranean.
Her conservative government has targeted traffickers, imposed limits on the work of NGO rescue ships, and signed deals with individual African countries to block departures.
The Italian government has signed a deal with Tirana, under which some adult male migrants rescued at sea while trying to reach Italy will be taken to Albania while their asylum claims are processed.
The Oxford researchers said they did not believe that the overall numbers had increased in recent years, but that governments should follow the example of countries such as Italy and the United States, which aim to assess and record the size of their illegal immigrant populations.
The research will form the basis for a new public database that will bring together and assess the latest estimates of how many illegal immigrants live in European countries and North America.
