What does the Vatican City have in common with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates? They’re all nations where foreign-born residents vastly outnumber native-born citizens. In fact, these countries represent the extreme end of a global spectrum that shows just how differently migration has shaped populations around the world.
This map illustrates the full spectrum of foreign-born populations worldwide. What stands out immediately is how it challenges common assumptions about where immigrants live. We often hear about countries like the U.S. and Canada, but the reality is much more diverse—and often surprising.
At the absolute peak sits Vatican City, where technically 100% of the population consists of foreign-born residents. This makes sense when you consider that Vatican citizenship isn’t acquired by birth but rather through appointment to work in the Holy See. Following close behind are the Gulf states: Qatar’s expatriate population dominates at 88.4% (roughly 2.76 million), compared to native Qataris, who account for 11.6%, while expatriates in the United Arab Emirates represent about 88% of the population.
These numbers reflect decades of economic transformation. The UAE and Qatar built their modern economies on oil wealth, requiring massive numbers of foreign workers, from construction laborers to financial specialists. Foreign workers amount to around 88% of Qatar’s population, the largest of which comprises South Asians, with those from India alone estimated to be around 700,000.
But it isn’t just oil economies at the top. Small island places like Sint Maarten, Aruba, and the Cayman Islands are also high on the list, relying on tourism, they attract workers from nearby countries and beyond. Then there’s Switzerland: more than 31% of its residents were born abroad, reflecting a long history of labor migration and its role as a finance center. And Australia? Often thought of as the poster child of immigration, yet only about 30.4% of its population was born abroad.
The animation above brings the numbers to life in a different way, gradually revealing the world from countries with the highest share of immigrants to those with the lowest. It starts with the Gulf nations, where foreign-born residents make up over 90% of the population, then moves through Caribbean territories and traditional immigration hubs like Canada (22.2%) and the U.S. (15.2%). Western Europe follows, with Eastern Europe appearing more gradually. The final moments highlight countries where immigration remains minimal—mostly in Africa and Asia—where internal migration plays a much larger role than international movement. China (0.1%) and India (0.3%), for instance, have vast internal migration but very few foreign-born residents.
According to Pew Research, in 14 countries and territories, immigration outpaced natural growth between 2000 and 2020, meaning migration was responsible for more than 100% of population growth. Without it, these places would have shrunk due to low birth rates and aging demographics.
On the flip side, places like Cuba (0.0%), Myanmar (0.1%), and North Korea (0.2%) have almost no foreign-born residents. Usually this is due to restrictive policies or limited economic incentive, showing how government and economy shape who moves in (and who doesn’t).
