Top Immigration/Emigration Countries of Europe
I've written before on who is coming to the US and where folks are going, and today I'm taking a quick look at the same for the top 5 most populous countries in the EU: DE, UK, FR, IT, and ES.
| Country | Top Country of Origin for Permanent Migration Inflow | Top Destination Country for Citizen Outflow |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Ukraine | Switzerland |
| United Kingdom | India | Spain |
| France | Algeria | Switzerland |
| Italy | Ukraine, Albania, or Romania | Spain |
| Spain | Colombia | Germany |
Obviously, the EU remains a top destination worldwide. Immigrants tend to come from outside the EU, and when Europeans leave they tend to stay within the continent.
Germany, Spain, and Switzerland are the top 3 countries for almost everyone, including increasingly for those in the United States (13% of US expats left for Spain in 2022).
| Destination Country (Host) | Countries with Host Country as Top Destination (2021–2023) |
|---|---|
| Germany | Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Spain, Türkiye |
| Spain | United Kingdom, United States, Colombia, Italy, Norway |
| Switzerland | France, Germany, Portugal |
While I'm assuming Switzerland functions primarily as a high-wage corridor that pulls skilled workers from other wealthy EU countries like France and Germany, while Germany and Spain see a mix of humanitarian and skilled workers, it'd be nice to get some confirmation of this via data over the years.