Almost one in four Europeans support far-right parties, new research shows, with the figure doubling in the last decade. 

According to a study by the PopuList Project - led by researchers at the University of Amsterdam - the number of Europeans who voted for a far-right party in their countries' most recent national elections had risen to more than 23 per cent. 

This is a 10 per cent jump from 10 years before, and around 5 per cent in 1995. 

The rise in far-right support was particularly present between 2023 and 2025, according to the research. 

Europe's far right has indeed scored some recent successes. 

France's National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, gained ground in municipal elections earlier this year, while Alternative for Germany (AfD) is performing increasingly well in polls. 

The populist leader of the Czech Republic, Orbán ally Andrej Babis, returned as prime minister last year. 

Austria's far-right Freedom Party advanced from 16 per cent to 29 per cent in elections in 2024, while Chega in Portugal rose from 7 per cent to 18 per cent.  

Far-right populist parties are currently part of ruling coalitions in Croatia, Czechia, Italy and Finland. 

They also support a right-wing minority government in Sweden and have led in polls in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and the UK, the analysis showed. 

However, these parties have also suffered defeats in some European nations. 

In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders' PVV lost almost a third of its seats and finished second last year, and in Hungary, Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party conceded to a centre-right opponent in April.

According to the experts working on the PopuList survey, several factors lie behind the growing trend. 

Speaking to The Guardian, Matthijs Rooduijn, a political scientist at the University of Amsterdam, said research suggested voter attitudes towards core far-right themes, such as immigration, had not changed significantly over time, but had become far more significant in the decisions people made about which party to vote for.

He also said that far-right parties had become more mainstream, adding that far-right parties have managed to create a 'heroes versus villains' narrative.

'The bigger and more successful they get, the more 'normal' they become,' Rooduijn said. 

'That's helped by the media, and by mainstream parties embracing their ideas.' 

He added that far-right parties know 'how to frame their message, which ultimately is always about an in-group and an out-group – the nation versus immigrants, judges, 'woke elites', whoever.'

'That produced a "heroes versus villains "narrative, tied to an idealised past in which everything was better,' he added

'And they've got way better at articulating that, at stirring emotions: anger, contempt, also pride and hope. They've professionalised.'