Europe and Asia each hosted around 87 and 86 million international migrants, respectively – comprising 61% of the global international migrant stock.
These regions were followed by North America, with almost 59 million international migrants in 2020, or 21 percent of the global migrant stock, Africa at 9 percent, Latin America and the Caribbean at 5 percent, and Oceania at 3 percent.
when compared with the size of the population in each region, shares of international migrants in 2020 were highest in Oceania, North America, and Europe, where international migrants represented, respectively, 22 percent, 16 percent, and 12 percent of the total population. In comparison, the share of international migrants is relatively small in Asia and Africa (1.8% and 1.9%, respectively) and Latin America and the Caribbean (2.3%).
However, Asia experiences the most remarkable growth from 2000 to 2020, at 74 percent (around 37 million people in absolute terms). Europe experienced the second-largest growth during this period, with an increase of 30 million international migrants, followed by an increase of 18 million in North America and 10 million in Africa.
However, a greater majority of people migrate within countries. In 2009, there were an estimated 740 million internal migrants. The increase in international migrants has been evident over time, both numerically and proportionally, and at a slightly faster rate than previously anticipated.
Although only a small proportion of the world’s population are international migrants (3.6%), there is a wide variation at the country level. In some countries, such as the United Arab Emirates, over 88% of the population are international migrants.
Long-term data shows that international migration is not uniform across the world. It is shaped by economic, geographic, and other factors resulting in distinct migratory patterns, such as migration “corridors” developed over many years.
Migration corridors represent an accumulation of migratory movements over time and provide a snapshot of how migration patterns have evolved into significant foreign-born populations in specific destination countries.
