The total number of non-nationals – persons who are not citizens of the country in which they reside – living in the EU25 in 2004 was around 25 million, according to the latest estimates published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. This represents just under 5.5 per cent of the total population of the EU25.

Due to various differences in concepts, definitions and data sources, and varying rules on the acquisition of citizenship, the international comparability of figures on non-nationals is limited to some extent. However, some observations may be made on the basis of available data.

Majority of non-nationals are from non-EU countries

In 2004, Luxembourg (38.6 per cent) had by far the highest proportion of non-nationals, followed by Latvia (22.2 per cent) and Estonia (20 per cent). In no other Member State was the proportion of non-nationals more than 10 per cent. In 12 member states non-nationals were less than five per cent of the population.

The majority of non-nationals living in Member States were citizens of non-EU countries. However, in Luxembourg (with Portuguese the largest group), Belgium (Italians the largest group), Ireland (British the largest group) and Cyprus (Greeks the largest group), non-nationals were predominantly citizens of other EU Member States.

The proportion of non-nationals grew in almost all Member States. The most significant increases between 1990 and 2004 were observed in Luxembourg (from 28.7 per cent to 38.6 per cent), Greece (from 1.4 per cent to 8.1 per cent), Spain (from one per cent to 6.6 per cent), Cyprus (from 4.2 per cent in 1992 to 9.4 per cent in 2002), Ireland (from 2.3 per cent to 7.1 per cent in 2002) and Austria (from 5.7 per cent to 9.4 per cent). The percentage of non-nationals fell over the same period in Belgium (from 8.9 per cent to 8.3 per cent), while Latvia (from 27.3 per cent to 22.2 per cent) recorded a significant decrease of non-nationals between 1998 and 2004.

In Malta, the number of non-nationals made up 2.8 per cent of the population, up from 1.6 per cent in 1990. Most of the non-nationals living here are from the UK.

Non-nationals tend to be younger than nationals

The non-national population in the EU25 was dominated by young adults, with 41 per cent between the ages of 20 and 39, compared to 28 per cent of nationals. The proportions of children and adolescents do not differ significantly: 20 per cent of non-nationals were under 20, compared to 23 per cent of nationals. Only nine per cent of non-nationals were aged 65 or over, compared to 17 per cent of nationals, with the result that immigrant populations tend in the short term to rejuvenate the total population. However, this rejuvenation is limited, as the percentage of non-nationals in the total population is small in most Member States.