Countries With the Fastest Immigration Growth (2019–2024)
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Key Takeaways
- Poland recorded the fastest growth in permanent immigration across the OECD, up 129% since 2019.
- Mexico, Spain, Costa Rica, and Ireland also saw immigration rise sharply, showing growth is extending beyond traditional destinations.
- Several OECD countries moved in the opposite direction, led by Colombia (-73%), Latvia (-59%), and Czechia (-36%).
Permanent immigration has accelerated across much of the OECD, but not always in the countries people might expect.
Using OECD data, this ranking compares how permanent immigration changed between 2019 and 2024.
Poland led by a wide margin, while Mexico, Spain, and Costa Rica also posted some of the largest increases. The data includes foreign nationals granted long-term residence.
How Permanent Immigration Changed Across the OECD
The table below shows the change in permanent migration by country between 2019 and 2024:
| Rank | Country | Change in Permanent Migration 2019–2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Poland |
129% |
| 2 |  Lithuania |
97% |
| 3 |  Mexico |
79% |
| 4 |  Spain |
50% |
| 5 |  Costa Rica |
49% |
| 6 |  Ireland |
48% |
| 7 |  Canada |
42% |
| 8 |  New Zealand |
39% |
| 9 |  Iceland |
38% |
| 10 |  U.S. |
38% |
| 11 |  Portugal |
29% |
| 12 |  Japan |
29% |
| 13 |  Switzerland |
27% |
| 14 |  Finland |
24% |
| 15 |  UK |
22% |
| 16 |  Australia |
22% |
| 17 |  Austria |
22% |
| 18 |  Israel |
20% |
| 19 |  Denmark |
19% |
| 20 |  Belgium |
12% |
| 21 |  Netherlands |
11% |
| 22 |  Luxembourg |
8% |
| 23 |  France |
5% |
| 24 |  South Korea |
4% |
| 25 |  Italy |
1% |
| 26 |  Germany |
-9% |
| 27 |  Hungary |
-11% |
| 28 |  Estonia |
-14% |
| 29 |  Slovakia |
-22% |
| 30 |  Norway |
-23% |
| 31 |  Sweden |
-24% |
| 32 |  Slovenia |
-27% |
| 33 |  Greece |
-32% |
| 34 |  Czechia |
-36% |
| 35 |  Chile |
-56% |
| 36 |  Latvia |
-59% |
| 37 |  Colombia |
-73% |
| — | OECD Average | 13% |
Poland’s permanent immigration rose 129% between 2019 and 2024, the fastest increase across the OECD. Lithuania ranked second (+97%), while Mexico (+79%), Spain (+50%), and Costa Rica (+49%) rounded out the top five.
While Western Europe has traditionally attracted the largest numbers of migrants, Poland’s strong labor market, rising wages, and rapid economic expansion have made it one of the continent’s fastest-growing destinations for international workers.
Migration Growth Is Becoming Less Concentrated
One of the clearest trends is that immigration growth is no longer concentrated in the OECD’s traditional destinations.
While Canada, the U.S., and Australia all continued to attract more permanent migrants, some of the fastest growth occurred in smaller and emerging destination countries. This suggests migration patterns are broadening as workers respond to changing labor demand and economic opportunities.
Not every OECD nation experienced rising inflows. Colombia (-73%), Latvia (-59%), Czechia (-36%), Sweden (-24%), and Norway (-23%) all recorded declines in permanent immigration.
Colombia’s decline reflects a stabilization after a record wave of Venezuelan arrivals peaked around 2019. Although migration has slowed, Colombia continues to host Latin America’s largest migrant population.
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To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on projected population change by country through 2050.
- Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-where-immigration-increased-the-most-across-oecd-countries/
