- There are an estimated 272 million international migrants – 3.5% of the world’s population.
- While most people leave their home countries for work, millions have been driven away due to conflict, violence and climate change.
- Most migrants come from India; the United States is the primary destination.
There are an estimated 272 million international migrants around the world. And while that equals just 3.5% of the world’s population, it already surpasses some projections for 2050. Since 1970, the number of people living in a country other than where they were born has tripled.
The scale and speed of migration – defined by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the movement of persons away from their place of usual residence, either across an international border or within a state – is notoriously difficult to predict given it can go hand in hand with events such as severe instability, economic crisis or conflict.