The table provides data on the number of residents from five European countries—Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain—living in each other’s nations in 2011. Overall, Germany hosted the largest expatriate population, while Poland had the fewest foreign residents. Notably, Polish nationals in Germany constituted the largest group, whereas British nationals in Poland represented the smallest.
Germany had the highest total number of foreign residents, amounting to 1,198,000. Among them, Poles were the most numerous, totaling 426,000, followed closely by Italians at 556,000. The British community in Germany was comparatively small, with 104,000 individuals, while the Spanish population reached 112,000. Spain was the second most popular destination, with 861,000 foreign nationals. The British formed the largest group in Spain, numbering 391,000, followed by Germans (196,000) and Italians (188,000). The Polish population in Spain was relatively smaller, at 86,000.
Conversely, Poland had the smallest foreign community, with a mere 6,000 expatriates. Germans made up the majority at 4,400, while the number of British, Italian, and Spanish residents was negligible, standing at 760, 670, and 170 respectively. Meanwhile, the UK accommodated 1,037,000 foreign residents, primarily Poles (550,000), followed by Germans (297,000). Italians and Spaniards represented smaller groups, with 119,000 and 71,000 people respectively. Italy, with 196,000 foreign residents, saw the largest influx from Germany, at 42,000, alongside 106,000 Poles, 29,000 Britons, and 19,000 Spaniards.