Slowdown in migration

The rise in international migration rates against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down. In 2020, the number of people living outside the countries in which they were born reached 281 million. This is 2 million fewer people, or 27% fewer than expected. These figures are presented in a new report by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The report says there were 173 million international migrants in the world 20 years ago and 221 million 10 years ago. In other words, migration flows have been growing at an accelerated rate in the last decade.

"The report data confirm that migration is an integral part of today's globalised world. They also show that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected the lives of millions of migrants and their families and undermined progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals", said Department Head Liu Zhenmin.

According to the UN, the amount of remittances migrants send to their family and friends in middle- and low-income countries could drop to $470 billion in 2021, compared to $548 billion in 2019. Experts stress that remittances from abroad play an important role in many developing economies.

The report also reports that about two-thirds of international migrants live in just 20 countries, primarily high-income countries.

The United States is still in first place, with 51 million migrants as of 2020. Germany is second, followed by Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UK.