Up to 4.8m unauthorised immigrants in Europe in 2017 –study

Figure is down from 2016 peak and UK and Germany account for about half of total

Europe was home to between 3.9 million and 4.8 million unauthorised immigrants in 2017, about half of whom lived in the UK and Germany, according to the first serious estimate in more than a decade.

The Pew Research Center study, based on data from the 32 EU and Efta member states and international organisations, found the range was significantly higher than in 2014 (3 million to 3.7 million) but had fallen slightly since a 2016 peak of 4.1 million to 5.3 million.