Key Highlights Of International Migration Report 2017

At 17 million, India is responsible for giving the world the highest number of international migrants, says the recently released International Migration Report-2017. Let us also examine the key highlights of the report, released by the United Nations on the International Migration Day.

Ready to resettle: The report says that in 2017, 258 million people lived in a country where they were not born. This is an increase of 49 per cent since 2000. This also means that currently 3.4 per cent of the world population is international migrants. In 2000, this percentage stood at 2.8 percent.

To greener pastures: Most migrants are making a move towards high-income countries, the report shows. The number of migrants as a fraction of the population residing in high-income countries rose from 9.6 per cent in 2000 to 14 per cent in 2017. High-income countries hosted 64 per cent (nearly 165 million) of the total number of international migrants worldwide in 2017.

More willing to accommodate: People decide to relocate to rich countries for obvious reasons. However, refugees and asylum seekers find low- and middle-income countries more welcoming hosts. The report says that these countries hosted 84 percent or 22 million of all refugees and asylum seekers in 2017. An estimated 26 million or 10 per cent of all international migrants are refugees or asylum seekers. 

The biggest contributors: At 17 million, the biggest number of people who leave the country of their birth to settle outside are from India. The report says that about five million of Indians reside in the Gulf region alone. Following India is Mexico, which provides the world 13 million international migrants. The Russian Federation, China, Bangladesh, Syrian Arab Republic and Pakistan and Ukraine also have large migrant populations living abroad.

The concentration: In 2017, two-thirds of all international migrants were living in only 20 countries. Further, half of this population was concentrated in only 10 countries. At 49.8 million (19 per cent of the global total), the largest number of global migrants live in the US. Saudi Arabia, Germany and the Russian Federation host the second, third and fourth largest numbers of migrants worldwide (around 12 million each), respectively, followed by the UK (nearly nine million).

She change: In 2017, 48.4 per cent of international migrants were women. Also, women migrants outnumber men in all regions except Africa and Asia, says the report. In some Asia countries, men migrants outnumber women by about three to one.

The age factor: Older people seem to be more willing to leave the country of their birth, it seems.  In 2000, the median age of migrants was 38.0 years; in 2017, this has increased to 39.2 years. However, in regions such as Asia, Oceania and especially Latin America and the Caribbean, the median age of migrants has decreased by about three years.

Up and running: Aged between 20 and 64 years, 74 per cent of all international migrants were of a working age in 2017. In contrast, only 57 per cent of the global population if of working age.

The balancing act: Between 2000 and 2015, migration contributed 42 per cent of the population growth in Northern America and 31 per cent in Oceania. In Europe, says the report, the size of the total population would have declined during the period 2000-2015 in the absence of migration.