World Migration in Figures - OECD

1 World Migration in Figures OECD-UNDESA October 2013 1 World Migration in Figures A joint contribution by UN-DESA and the OECD to the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development, 3-4 October 2013 Introduction Reliable information on migrants and Migration is essential to develop evidence-based policies, to inform public opinion, and to combat widely held misconceptions. How many migrants are there? What are their main characteristics? How do migrants contribute to host and origin societies? How does the role of immigrants evolve over time? These and other basic questions must be answered to plan future Migration , to leverage the opportunities of Migration , and to address its challenges.

2 On 3 and 4 October 2013, the United Nations General Assembly will convene the second High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. On numerous occasions, Member States have called for improving the evidence-base on international Migration and its linkages to development. The Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are working together to close this knowledge gap. This contribution brings together the latest evidence on global Migration trends1 with detailed information from the Database on Immigrants in OECD Countries (DIOC).

3 2 Key findings Despite the economic and financial crisis, global Migration continues to rise. Yet, the growth in the global migrant stock has slowed down since 2007. In 2013, the number of international migrants born in the South who lived in the North, or South-North Migration , almost equaled the number of migrants born in the South who resided in the South, or South-South Migration . The proportion of female migrants ranged from 52% in the global North to 43% in the global South in 2013. Six out of every ten international migrants under the age of 20 resided in developing regions. Conversely, about seven out of every ten migrants aged 60 and above lived in the developed regions.

4 The number of tertiary educated immigrants in the OECD increased by 70% in the past decade to reach 27 million in 2010/11. About 30% of all migrants in the OECD area were highly educated and one-fifth of them were originating from India, China or the Philippines. Migrant workers, notably men, have been hard hit by the economic crisis. In 2010/11 there were million unemployed foreign-born in the OECD, corresponding to an average unemployment rate of Emigration rates to OECD countries were on the increase, notably in Europe and Latin America. Emigration rates of the highly-skilled exceeded total emigration rates for most countries of origin, reflecting the selective nature of Migration .

5 One in every nine persons born in Africa with a tertiary diploma lived in the OECD in 2010/11. Corresponding Figures for Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia are one in 13 and one in 30, respectively. The risk of brain drain is more acute in countries with small populations and island states, but lower in populous non-OECD countries. Global Migration levels and trends3 Some 232 million international migrants are living in the World today. Since 1990, the number of international migrants in the global North increased by around 53 million (65%), while the migrant population in the global South grew by around 24 million (34%). Today, about six out of every ten international migrants reside in the developed regions (Table 1).

6 Table 1. International migrant stock (millions) 1990200020102013 Worl oped regi opi ng regi n Ameri ca and the Cari Ameri : United Nations (2013), Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2013 Revision. During the period 2000-10, the global migrant stock grew twice as fast than during the previous decade. During the 1990s, the global migrant stock grew at an average of about 2 million migrants per year. During the decade 2000-10, the growth in the migrant stock accelerated to about million migrants annually. However, since 2010, the increase in the migrant stock has slowed down. In the aftermath of the global economic crisis, the annual increase in the global migrant stock fell to about million since 2010.

7 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division 2 World Migration in Figures OECD-UNDESA October 2013 Since 2000, the migrant stock in the South has increased more rapidly than in the North. Between 2000 and 2010, the average annual growth rate for the migrant stock in the South was per annum. In the North, the annual growth rate was around Since 2010, the annual growth rate has fallen to in the developing regions and in the developed regions. Compared to the global population, the number of international migrants remains relatively small. In 2013, international migrants comprised about of the World population, compared to in 1990.

8 While the proportion of international migrants continues to rise in the North, it remains stable in the South. In 2013, international migrants accounted for nearly 11% of the total population in the developed countries, up from less than 9% in 2000. In the developing World , the proportion of international migrants to the total population remained under 2%, due to significant population growth and higher return levels. About half of all international migrants reside in ten countries. In 2013, the United States of America hosted the largest number of international migrants ( million or 20% of the global total), followed by the Russian Federation (11 million), Germany ( million), Saudi Arabia ( million), the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom ( million each), France ( million), Canada ( million), Australia and Spain ( million each).

9 The large majority of countries have witnessed an increase in the number of migrants. Between 2000 and 2013, the size of the international migrant stock grew in 165 countries or areas, while it declined in 63 countries or areas (Annex 1 Map 1). While women comprise about 48% of all international migrants, considerable differences exist across regions. The proportion of female migrants is the highest in Europe, ( ), followed by Latin America and the Caribbean ( ), Northern America ( ), Oceania ( ), Africa ( ), and Asia ( ). The small proportion of female migrants in Asia is the result of the high demand for male migrant workers in the oil-producing countries of Western Asia.

10 Refugees account for a relatively small proportion of the global migrant stock. In 2013, the total number of refugees in the World was estimated at million, representing about 7% of all international migrants. Nearly nine of every ten refugees in the World had found asylum in developing regions. South-South Migration slightly exceeds South-North Migration . In 2013, some million international migrants who were born in the global South resided in the global South, slightly exceeding the number of international migrants born in the global South who were living in the global North ( million). On average, migrants residing in the global North are nine years older than migrants living in the global South.