August 26, 2025 Dear John The number of international migrants globally has nearly doubled since 1990, to a record 304 million as of 2024. Measured another way, global migrants represent a population that is larger than that of every single country in the world except for India, China, and the United States. Yet international migrants comprise just 3.7 percent of the global population. While that represents an increase over the 2.9 percent share from 35 years ago, global migrants represent just a tiny fraction of the world’s more than 8.2 billion people. Number and Share of Global Migrants, 1960-2024 |
|
Source: Migration Policy Institute (MPI) tabulation of data from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Population Division, “International Migrant Stock 2024: Table 1: International Migrant Stock at Mid-Year by Sex and by Region, Country or Area of Destination, 1990-2024,” and “International Migrant Stock 2024: “Table 3: International Migrant Stock as a Percentage of the Total Population by Sex and by Region, Country or Area of Destination, 1990-2024,” 2024, available online. Data prior to 1990 are no longer available online. These and other findings are part of the latest edition of “Top Statistics on Global Migration and Migrants,” a signature article from our Migration Information Source magazine that offers a comprehensive, data-driven snapshot of international migration. The article draws on authoritative data from the United Nations, World Bank, the International Labor Organization, and other organizations to provide clear and accessible insights into the scale and characteristics of international migration. Other key findings include: - Europe and North America are home to the largest number of migrants globally, while also being the origin of more emigrants than any other region.
- Approximately 13 percent of all international migrants are children under age 18. But children are much more likely to be forcibly displaced, accounting for about 40 percent of all 123 million humanitarian migrants worldwide.
- Migrants are more likely than natives to be in the global labor force, accounting for approximately one in every 20 workers.
Access the article here: www.migrationpolicy.org/article/top-statistics-global-migration-migrants Many of the data points featured in the article are also available through MPI’s Migration Data Hub, an essential clearinghouse for interactive data tools, maps, and tables on international and U.S. migration. Want to stay on top of the latest trends and policy shifts? Subscribe to our Migration Information Source newsletter. Delivered twice per month, the newsletter offers cutting-edge insight from experts within and beyond MPI, plus a guide to new migration-related books, upcoming events, and other exclusive content. |
|
| The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C. dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. MPI provides analysis, development and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at the local, national and international levels. For more on MPI, please visit www.migrationpolicy.org. |
| |
|
|
