- Published on-17th September 2019, New York
- The International Migrant stock is a dataset which is released by the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). It provides the latest estimates of the number of international migrants by categorizing them according to age, sex and origin for all the countries throughout the world.
- These estimates are made based upon the official National statistics obtained through various population censuses, registers and nationally representative surveys.
- It represents the results of 2019 revision of the UN’s estimates of the number of International migrants for 232 countries.
Key Findings
- The number of international migrants has reached 272 million in 2019 which shows an upward trend throughout the world.
- It shows an increase of 51 million since 2010.
- International migrants comprise 3.5% of the global population.
- At the regional level, Europe hosts the largest number of International migrants followed by North America and North Africa and then by Western Asia for the Year 2019.
- At the Country level, USA is hosting the largest number of international migrants (51 million) which is equal to about 19% of the total International migrants followed by Germany and Saudi Arabia.
- India is the lead country of origin accounting for about 17.5 million people who are living abroad followed by Mexico and China.
- The highest proportion for the share of international migrants in the total population has been recorded in Oceania including Australia and Newzealand (21.2%) and it is lowest in Eastern and southern Asia (0.8%).
- The number of migrant women is highest in North America (52%) followed by Europe (51%) and is lowest in North Africa and Western Asia (36%).
- In terms of age, the dataset for 2019 shows that 38 million International migrants which is equivalent to 14% while 202 million International migrant i.e. 74% of the global migrant population are between the age of 20 and 64.
India’s Performance
- In 2019, India is hosting 5.1 million International migrants. It was 5.2 million in 2015.
- International migrants in India share 0.4% of the total population.
- 48.8% population of International migrants in India is shared by the female.
- The highest number of international migrants in India is from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.
- India has been ranked one as the leading country of origin of international migrants in 2019 with 17.5 million diasporas.
Significance of International Migrants Stock data
- These data are important for understanding the role of migrants in the development of their countries of origin as well as their destinations.
- It will help in achieving sustainable development goals.
MCQs
Q: 1.) Which of the following is not a criterion for classifying International migrants according to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)?a.) Age
b.) Sex
c.) Origin
d.) Economic Status
e.) All the Above
Answer-d.) Economic status
Explanation-UN (DESA) categorises International migrants based on their age, sex and places of origin.
Q: 2.) International migrants comprise____% of the global population?
a.) 5
b.) 3.5
c.) 7
d.) 10
e.) 1
Answer-b.) 3.5
Explanation-As per the recent reports of International Migrants Stock-2019, International migrants comprise 3.5% of the global population.
Q: 3.) Which country is hosting largest number of International migrants at country level, as per the reports of International Migrants stock 2019?
a.) Saudi Arabia
b.) Europe
c.) USA
d.) Australia
e.) None of the above
Answer-c.) USA
Explanation-At country level, USA is hosting largest number of international migrants in 2019 followed by Germany and Saudi Arabia.
Q: 4.) According to the reports of International Migrants Stock 2019, which is the lead country of origin where the highest number of people are living abroad?
a.) India
b.) Mexico
c.) China
d.) Australia
e.) North Africa
Answer-a.) India
Explanation-India is the lead country of origin where about 18 million people are living abroad.
Q: 5.) Which country/continent is hosting the largest number of women migrants as per the reports of International Migrants Stock 2019?
a.) Europe
b.) North America
c.) North Africa
d.) China
e.) Australia
Answer-b.) North America
Explanation-North America is hosting the largest number of women migrants in 2019 followed by Europe and North Africa.
