Globally, migration is on the rise. People are living in other places more than ever before. In 2013, approximately 232 million people (3.2%) of the world’s population were international migrants. In 2000, there were 175 million, and 154 million in 1990. This means more people are living in other places than where they were born.

Did you know…
Europe and Asia are hosts to about two-thirds of all international migrants. They are the most popular destination for migrants. However, in absolute terms (country by country terms), Northern America (the USA and Canada) has the fastest-growing migrant rate.

Migrant destinations
In 2013, about half of international migrants lived in these ten countries:
USA (45.8 million), Russian Federation (11 million), Germany (9.8 million), Saudi Arabia (9.1 million), United Arab Emirates (7.8 million), United Kingdom (7.8 million), France (7.4 million), Canada (7.3 million), Australia (6.5 million), and Spain (6.5 million).
Source: UN, Dept. of Economics and Social Affairs

Refugees
Globally, there were about 15.4 million refugees at the end of 2010, an increase of about 153,000, and about 800,000 asylum seekers. The increase is due to the worsening of the conflict in Somalia, as more people had to flee from the violence. Other places such as Libya and Ivory Coast also contributed to the rise in numbers.

Human Trafficking
In 2010, an estimated 12.3 million (adults and children) were trafficked into the USA and forced into labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution. It is believed that 2 out of 1,000 people are victims of human trafficking.

Remittances
A recent continent-wide household survey revealed that, in 2010, an estimated 30 million Africans living abroad sent over USD 40 billion back home, representing 2.6 percent of Africa’s GDP and four times the total amount recorded in 1990 (World Bank, 2011c). Remittances are the African continent’s largest source of net foreign inflows after foreign direct investment (FDI).