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Countries Most Opposed to Expanding Immigration
Respondents in these countries are less likely to believe their home nation should be more open to immigration, according to a U.S. News survey.
Table of Contents
- 10 (tie). Thailand
- 10 (tie). Norway
- 8. Germany
- 7. Denmark
- 6. France
- 5. Hungary
- 4. Chile
- 3. Israel
- 2. Sweden
- 1. Turkey
Amid a rise in migration in recent years, survey data analyzed by U.S. News suggests that global citizens are becoming more reluctant to welcome more immigrants to their home countries.
About 59% of respondents to the Best Countries survey agreed with the statement, “My country should be more open to immigration” – a drop of 2 percentage points compared to 2022.
In order to assess views on immigration, U.S. News analyzed responses to the Best Countries survey, which reached more than 17,000 people across 36 countries. What follows are the 10 countries where respondents had the lowest percentages of agreement with the statement noted above.
In all 10 countries, less than 50% of respondents agreed with the statement, and half saw their level of support decrease year over year. The United States saw the second-largest decrease – from 67% agreement in 2022 to nearly 58% in 2023 – though the country is not in the bottom 10 overall.
Among the 36 countries surveyed by U.S. News, respondents in these 10 nations were the most unenthusiastic about whether their government should welcome more immigrants.
10 (tie). Thailand
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 49.0%
Change From 2022: 6 percentage points
In Thailand, men were more likely than women to agree that their country should be more open to immigration. A 2021 study from the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency, found that support for migrant workers specifically in several Southeast Asian destination countries – including Thailand – decreased from 2010 to 2019.
Learn more about Thailand.
10 (tie). Thailand
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 49.0%
Change From 2022: 6 percentage points
In Thailand, men were more likely than women to agree that their country should be more open to immigration. A 2021 study from the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency, found that support for migrant workers specifically in several Southeast Asian destination countries – including Thailand – decreased from 2010 to 2019.
Learn more about Thailand.
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 49.0%
Change From 2022: 4 percentage points
A right-wing, anti-immigration political party in Norway finished third in the country’s local elections in early September amid increasing support.
Learn more about Norway.
8. Germany
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 48.3%
Change From 2022: -7.8 percentage points
The country had among the largest decreases in percentage agreement for the immigration statement year over year. Only about 45% of German women agreed, compared to 51% of men. Recent reports indicate that Berlin is running out of space to accommodate migrants, and the far-right Alternative for Germany party has been rising up the polls while employing anti-migrant rhetoric.
Learn more about Germany.
7. Denmark
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 47.5%
Change From 2022: -3 percentage points
A late 2022 piece from the Overseas Development Institute, a global affairs think tank, notes that Denmark has embraced “highly polarized rhetoric around immigration.” Officials in the Scandinavian country have also recently pushed restrictive immigration and asylum policies.
Learn more about Denmark.
6. France
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 46.6%
Change From 2022: 1.9 percentage points
Some reports and studies indicate that French people have become more positive about immigration in recent years. But a 2022 analysis from the Migration Policy Institute notes that the country is still grappling with growing support for far-right politicians that have pushed restrictive immigration policies.
Learn more about France.
5. Hungary
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 44.5%
Change From 2022: 2.5 percentage points
Hungarian men were more likely than women to agree with the statement about immigration. The country has a history of anti-immigration attitudes, but a Gallup poll in 2023 found that support for migrants has appeared to grow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, however, has embraced an anti-migration platform: One policy that forced migrants to seek asylum abroad was ruled to be illegal by the European Court of Justice in June 2023.
Learn more about Hungary.
4. Chile
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 42.5%
Change From 2022: -15 percentage points
Chile had – by far – the largest drop in agreement for the pro-immigration statement compared to 2022 among the 36 countries surveyed. A Migration Policy Institute article found in 2022 that Chileans’ cooling support for immigration has come in response to a rapid rise in migration in Latin America, with a growing number of migrants resettling in Chile.
Learn more about Chile.
3. Israel
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 39.6%
Change From 2022: -1.9 percentage points
Israel’s official policies around immigration have been largely tied to who wants to come, according to analysis elsewhere. The Migration Policy Institute in 2020 noted that in the country, “immigration is open to anyone who can prove Jewish ethnicity, but is extremely difficult for non-Jews.”
Learn more about Israel.
2. Sweden
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 33.0%
Change From 2022: -8.7 percentage points
Sweden’s history of being welcoming to immigrants has shifted dramatically in recent years, largely due to the burgeoning influence of political parties on the right of the political spectrum. The more negative attitudes have been focused on migrants’ “perceived propensity to commit crimes and terrorist acts,” according to the Overseas Development Institute.
Learn more about Sweden.
1. Turkey
Percentage Supportive of Immigration: 24.4%
Change From 2022: 0.1 percentage points
Turkish respondents’ level of support for immigration to their country barely changed year over year, but remains easily the lowest percentage among the 36 countries. People in the country aged 46 and up are even less likely (just under 16%) to agree with the pro-immigration statement. Immigration has become Turkey’s “most heated topic of debate,” according to a report by Heinrich Böll Foundation, a German independent political foundation.
Learn more about Turkey.
