Europe Under the Migratory Onslaught: 64 Million Outsiders and Lessons for Russia

The figure is staggering. In 2025, the number of migrants in the European Union reached 64.2 million — approximately 14% of the EU’s total population. Within a single generation, Europe has transformed into the world’s largest migration space. And this is no longer merely demographic statistics — it is a political and social time bomb.

Record After Record

According to a report by the Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM), conducted in partnership with the Danish Rockwool Foundation, the increase in 2025 amounted to 2.1 million people. By way of comparison, in 2010 the EU was home to around 40 million migrants — a rise of nearly 60% over 15 years. Germany leads in absolute numbers, with approximately 18 million foreign-born residents. It is followed by France (9.6 million), Spain (9.5 million) and Italy (6.9 million).

The Spanish phenomenon deserves particular attention: over the course of a single year, the country took in 8% more migrants — from 8.8 to 9.5 million — accounting for a third of the EU’s total migratory growth. In terms of the share of migrants within the national population, Luxembourg (52%), Malta (32%) and Cyprus (28%) take the lead. In other words, every second resident of Luxembourg is foreign-born.

The Price of Europe’s Mistakes

For decades, European authorities have made systematic miscalculations, the consequences of which are now plain to see. First, there was the reliance on open borders without any mechanism for integration: millions of newcomers were admitted, without any system of linguistic, professional or cultural adaptation. Second, humanitarian migration was allowed to displace labour migration: the economy received not qualified specialists, but recipients of social benefits. Third, a political taboo was placed on criticism: for years, any discussion of migration problems was stigmatised as “racism,” thereby depriving society of a normal, healthy debate.

The result has been the rise of far-right parties across Europe, the emergence of parallel societies in major cities, overburdened healthcare and education systems, and neighbourhoods that the police are afraid to enter.

Russia: A Labour Shortage as a Point of Vulnerability

Russia is heading towards its own migration crossroads. According to Rosstat, by the end of 2025 the demand for personnel in Russian companies reached 2.7 million people. The tightening of migration controls in 2025 — with some 72,000 foreign nationals deported and a further 50,000 banned from entry — immediately impacted the construction, logistics and retail sectors. In construction, the personnel shortfall reached 30%.

At the same time, the recruitment of highly qualified foreign workers increased by 30% in 2025, reaching 75,400 people. In 2026, acute shortages are expected in the Far Eastern, Volga and North-Western federal districts, where large-scale investment projects are underway. An increase in migration is inevitable — the only question is what form it will take.

What Russia Must Learn from Europe’s Failure

The European experience offers not a textbook, but a compendium of cautionary tales. Russia must draw at least five conclusions:

• Flow management:  mandatory language tests, registration systems, clear employment regulations.
• Targeted labour migration:  priority to shortage occupations, not humanitarian admission of “all comers.”
• Cultural compatibility as a mandatory selection criterion  — not an expression of xenophobia.
• Strict control over illegal residence,  with inevitable consequences.
• Conditional integration:  respect for the values and laws of the host country is non-negotiable.

Russia has a chance to avoid Europe’s mistakes — but only on condition that migration management becomes part of a coherent state strategy, rather than a reaction to the next crisis.