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Africa's Change Makers Magazine

How many migrants are there in the world?

By David, SEMA AFRICA | December 22, 2016

How many migrants are there in the world?

An internally displaced woman walks through a camp on the outskirts of the town of Qol Ujeed, on the border with Ethiopia, Somaliland April 17, 2016. Across the Horn of Africa, millions have been hit by the severe El Nino-related drought. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola

Here are some facts on migrants and refugees



The number of international migrants has increased over the past 50 years to nearly 250 million in 2015, from about 79 million in 1960.

War and poverty in the Middle East and Africa have forced record numbers to flee their homes, fuelling Europe's largest refugee and migrant crisis since World War Two.


Some 1.4 million people have headed to Europe in the last two years, triggering disputes between countries over how to handle the influx and boosting support for anti-immigration populists.

In the United States, President-elect Donald Trump, who made immigration a key campaign issue, has promised to build a wall along the Mexican border, deport millions of undocumented immigrants and ban immigration from countries that have been "compromised by terrorism".

Women's rights and gender equality, we highlights issues affecting women, girls and transgender people.

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- The number of international migrants has increased over the past 50 years to nearly 250 million in 2015, from about 79 million in 1960.


- International migrants - those living in a country that is different from their country or territory of birth - make up 3.3 percent of the world's population.

International Migration

Almost everywhere on the world, international migration is a hot topic. Most of the time the debate about migration is fierce and charged with prejudices and fears.
At the political level, this has far-reaching consequences, ranging from electoral victories of populist right-wing parties to the increasing isolation policy of Europe and the United States.

But what exactly is migration? What are its causes? And what are problems and opportunities?

- Migrants and refugees often travel in the same way. But economic migrants leave their country to improve the future economic prospects of themselves and their families, whereas refugees are fleeing conflict or persecution.


- At the end of 2015 there were 65.3 million forcibly displaced people. They included 21.3 million refugees, 40.8 million internally displaced and 3.2 million asylum seekers.


- One in every 113 people globally is either an asylum-seeker, internally displaced or a refugee.


- More than 4,700 migrants have died attempting treacherous sea journeys to Europe this year, the deadliest on record.


- Italy has become the top destination for those heading to Europe by boat, with more than 179,000 arrivals.


- The U.S. has more international migrants than any other country, ahead of Germany (12 mln), Russia (11.6 mln), Saudi Arabia (10.2 mln) and Britain (8.5 mln).


- The U.S.-Mexico migration corridor is one of the most travelled routes in the world. During fiscal year 2016, which ended in September, the number of people detained along the border surpassed 408,000, a 23 percent jump from last year, although it was less than in 2014.


- In 2015, migrants around the world sent nearly 600 billion dollars back to relatives in their home countries.


- Nine in 10 refugees are hosted in developing regions. Turkey has the largest number with more than 3 million refugees.


- As weather extremes strengthen and sea levels rise, migration experts have warned that forced migration linked to climate pressures is poised to become a problem that could dwarf refugee flows.


- The average number of people displaced by natural disasters, including floods, storms and droughts, has averaged 22.5 million a year since 2008 and is growing.


Sources: Pew Research Center, UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM

 


Thomson Reuters Foundation

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