European countries call for tighter immigration controls following large-scale riots in France
EU demographic crisis deepens amid low birth rates and population aging, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of immigration
Indiscriminate immigration restrictions could accelerate regional depopulation and weaken the foundations of public services

Anti-immigration sentiment is intensifying across Europe. Some political leaders in the region have linked the large-scale riots and looting that swept across France to failed immigration policies and are calling for strict border controls. Experts warn, however, that because immigration has helped Europe partially offset its demographic crisis and labor shortages, a prolonged push to reduce immigration could instead exacerbate declines in the economically active population and the depopulation of local communities.

Hungary and Poland Signal Anti-Immigration Stances

According to a Euronews report on the 18th (all dates hereafter are local time), Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that day characterized the escalating violent protests across France as an example of the failure of Western Europe’s lenient immigration policies, strongly defending their own countries’ closed-border policies. On the 18th, Magyar posted footage of burning buildings in France on social media, writing, “Having witnessed senseless destruction and unjustifiable violence, it should now be clear to everyone why Hungary takes the strictest stance on immigration.” He added, “The overwhelming majority of European countries have woken up and are seeking to break with the lenient policies of the past,” saying, “I hope it is not too late.”

That same night, Tusk also wrote on social media, without directly mentioning France, “Poland will neither repeat the mistakes of other European countries nor pay the price for them.” He stressed, “We are firmly defending our borders against illegal immigration, implementing our own asylum policy, and deporting those who break Polish law.” Then, on the 19th, former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who could compete against Tusk ahead of the general election in November next year, also said, “France is burning, and we must be wise before damage is done.” He emphasized that the center-right coalition he leads has a comprehensive solution to make Poland the safest country in the world.

Immigration Also Comes to the Fore in France

Earlier, on the 17th, nationwide protests took place in France against the rising cost of living. According to the French Interior Ministry, an estimated 550,000 people took to the streets that day, about 2,400 protesters were arrested, and around 1,000 police officers were injured. Shops were looted in Paris, Lyon, and Marseille, while a 19th-century city hall building burned in the central city of Limoges. Political symbols connected to immigration issues also appeared at various protest sites. According to local media reports, protesters in the southern city of Toulouse that day placed a yellow vest over the head of an equestrian statue of Joan of Arc, France’s national heroine and a Catholic saint, to resemble a hijab, and put a Palestinian flag in her hand. In the pyramid courtyard of the Louvre Museum in central Paris, masked protesters climbed a statue of Joan of Arc and attached stickers bearing political slogans. At Place de la République, a protester was seen waving a Palestinian flag beside a burning bus shelter.

In response, France’s far-right politicians went on the offensive, linking the riots to immigration. On the 18th, Marine Le Pen, a lawmaker from France’s National Rally (RN), said, “We are paying the price for decades of uncontrolled immigration,” directly identifying existing immigration policies as the cause of the violence. However, there is no objective evidence that immigrants or people from immigrant families led the unrest. French police and government authorities have not officially released the proportion of immigrants or second- and third-generation immigrants among those arrested. The French government identified far-left radicals and organized looters who infiltrated peaceful demonstrations as the main perpetrators of the violence.

Immigration Partially Offsets the Demographic Crisis

Population decline and labor shortages explain why France and other European countries have actively accepted immigrants from outside the region. According to the third report on demographic change released by the European Commission in July, the EU’s population is projected to peak at 453.3 million in 2029, up from the current 450.6 million, before beginning to decline. It is estimated to fall to around 445 million by 2050 and to just 398.8 million by 2100, a decline of 11.7% from 2025. Low birth rates are cited as the main cause of population decline. Annual births in the EU fell from 6.8 million in 1964 to around 3.5 million last year—roughly half the level of some 60 years ago.

Population aging is also progressing rapidly. The share of the EU population aged 65 and older is expected to rise from about one in five today to one in three by 2050. The share aged 80 and older is also projected to more than double, from 6.2% in 2025 to 13.3% in 2070. Immigrants have so far helped partially offset this demographic crisis. Data from Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, show that deaths exceeded births by around 1.35 million in the EU last year. However, net migration and statistical adjustments added 2.05 million people, resulting in an overall population increase of about 710,000.

Table 1. Sources of Conflict Related to Immigration into Europe

Immigration-Related Social Unrest Also Intensifies

Despite accelerating population decline, calls to restrict immigration are growing across Europe because social conflicts arising from immigrant inflows persist. This reflects the failure of social integration policies designed to help immigrants settle into local communities and labor markets to keep pace with the expansion of immigrant admissions. According to Eurostat, 43.8% of non-EU nationals living in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2024, while their unemployment rate reached 12.3%.

Housing shortages are also cited as a factor fueling conflicts over immigration. As immigrants concentrate in major cities with insufficient housing supply, residents’ opposition to securing refugee reception facilities and temporary accommodation has intensified. In July last year, anti-immigration protests took place outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Epping, Essex, in the United Kingdom, with similar rallies following in London. Meanwhile, inadequate expansion of staffing and facilities at schools and hospitals is adding to the burden on public services. In the labor market, concerns are also growing that immigrant inflows could worsen wages and employment conditions for existing workers, particularly in low-wage jobs.

Risks of Prolonged Population Decline

The problem is that indiscriminately restricting immigrant inflows could deepen population decline caused by low birth rates and aging, damaging the national economy and social systems as a whole. A shrinking working-age population weakens the tax base and makes it harder to maintain public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, and government offices. These risks are particularly pronounced in regions experiencing concentrated population outflows. In Japan, where population decline has persisted for years, a total of 8,850 public schools closed between 2004 and 2023. According to figures from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Hokkaido had the largest number of school closures at 859, while closures also continued in other regional areas, including Iwate Prefecture (331) and Fukushima Prefecture (330). As infrastructure supporting daily life shrinks, residents move to major cities at an accelerating pace. The outflow of young people reduces the labor force and consumer demand, suppressing business activity and new investment in a vicious cycle.

A similar situation is unfolding in South Korea. According to the results of last year’s Population and Housing Census, released by the National Data Agency in July, 26.38 million people, or 50.9% of the total population of 51.82 million, lived in the Seoul metropolitan area. The metropolitan area’s share of the population has continued to rise since first exceeding 50% in 2019, while 147 of the country’s 229 cities, counties, and districts recorded population declines. Low birth rates, combined with the concentration of young people in the metropolitan area, have weakened the population base in other regions. As a result, school mergers and closures are continuing in these regions, while local universities face difficulties recruiting students and financial strain.