Concern About Immigration Differs Widely

Concern about immigration differs widely across the globe. While respondents from some countries place it among the biggest issues for their country very frequently, others are more likely to pick different issues.

Across 32 countries surveyed by Statista Consumer Insights between October 2025 and September 2026, immigration was named as a major issue by an average of just 22 percent of respondents presented with 20 topics to choose from – in contrast to the prominent role it sometimes takes up in the media. However, the country-specific answers ranged from just 4 percent in China and 5 percent in Brazil to 43 percent in the United Kingdom.

Immigration was the most frequently named major issue after inflation/cost of living and housing, respectively, in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands most recently. It came in rank 3 in Germany at 35 percent naming it, while 38 percent being concerned about it in Spain only placed it in rank 6 there as housing, inflation, the economy, corruption and healthcare were seen as more pressing.

In the United States, immigration was named as a major issue by 25 percent – rank 9. The topic was picked about as (in)frequently in Eastern European countries, for example Poland. While known for their at times negative stance on immigration, Eastern Europe also generally receives fewer migrants than its neighbors, with the exception of recent immigrants from Ukraine. In a similar vein, Japan – often portrait as ani-immigration while receiving little – collectively ranked immigration as the eighth most pressing issue with just 20 percent of respondents naming it.