Migration

Migrant stock by major regions, 1990-2015

Foreign born population by major regions, 1990-2015

Data source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2015). Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 revision (United Nations database, POP/DB/MIG/Stock/Rev.2015).

Almost 244 million people, or 3.3 percent of the world's population live in a country other than the one where they were born. This stock of migrants and refugess was much smaller in 1990 - only some 153 million.

In absolute terms it is not Northern America, which has the largest number of foreign born and refugees in their population, but Europe. In 2015, European countries reported some 76 million international migrants (foreign-born, foreign citicens and refugees); Northern America reported only some 54 million.

In Africa, there are currently (2015) some 21 million international migrants and in Latin America and the Caribbean there are only about 9 million.

Asia has a foreign born population including refugees of about 75 million - almost as much as Europe.

Note: The data used to produce the estimates refer to the foreign-born population or to foreign citizens. Whenever available, the number of refugees, as reported by UNHCR, were added to the estimate of international migrants. Estimates for countries or areas having no data on the number of international migrants were obtained by imputation.

Migrant stock in percent of the population by major regions, 1990-2015

Data source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2015). Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 revision (United Nations database, POP/DB/MIG/Stock/Rev.2015).

Oceania (which includes among other countries Australia and New Zealand) has the highest percentage of migrants: One in every five people live in a country other than the one where they were born.

In realtion to the population Northen America has more foreign-born people than Europe: about 15%, as compared to about 10%, are foreing-born.

Only a very small percentage of the population in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is foreing-born - between 1.5 and 1.7 percent of the population.

Note: The data used to produce the estimates refer to the foreign-born population or to foreign citizens. Whenever available, the number of refugees, as reported by UNHCR, were added to the estimate of international migrants. Estimates for countries or areas having no data on the number of international migrants were obtained by imputation.

Percentage of the native-borne population living abroad, 2014

Countries with the most people living abroad.

Data source: OECD. Chart: statista.

Among OECD-countrys, Ireland has the highest percentage of its native-born population living abroad: 17.5% or one in six Irish-born people now live outside of Ireland.

About 14% of the native-born population in New Zealand and Portugal live overseas.

Countries with larger populations including Brazil, Japan, the United States and China are among the countries with the fewest nationals living abroad.