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By Nora O. Gamolo, OFW Times Editor
The International Organization for Migration, a
highly respected international non-government working with
migrants and has repatriated OFWs from Lebanon in the past, has
lately updated its World Migration Report showing some global
statistics on the extent of the migration phenomenon in the world.
The Philippines figured in the IOM report as the
country with the third highest deployment of migrants in the world.
According to IOM, there were some 191 million
migrants worldwide in 2005, up from only 175 million in 2000. In
contrast, there were only 82 million migrants in 1970.
There are roughly 30 to 40 million unauthorized
migrants worldwide, comprising around 15 percent to 20 percent of
the world’s immigrant stock.
Migrants now comprise 3 percent of the world’s
population. One out of every 35 persons is a migrant. Almost half of
all migrants (48.6 percent) are women.
Migration flows have shifted in recent years
with changing poles of attraction for labor migration. In some parts
of the world, migrant stock has actually decreased.
Although the number of Asian migrants has
increased from 28.1 million in 1970 to 43.8 million in 2000,
Asia’s share of global migrant stock decreased from 34.5 per cent
to 25 per cent over the same period.
Africa has also seen a decline in its share of
international migrants, from 12 percent in 1970 to 9 percent in
2000. This is also true for Latin America and the Caribbean (down
from 7.1 percent to 3.4 percent); Europe (down from 22.9 percent to
18.7 percent) and for Oceania (3.7 to 3.3 percent).
Only Northern America and the former Union of
Soviet Socialist Russia (USSR) have seen a sharp increase in their
migrant stock between 1970 and 2000 (from 15.9 percent to 23.3
percent for Northern America and 3.8 to 16.8 percent for the former
USSR). In the latter case however, this increase has more to do with
the redefinition of borders than with the actual movement of people.
The stock of international migrants remains
concentrated in relatively few countries. Some 75 percent of all
international migrants are only in 12 percent of all countries.
The migrant population is concentrated in few
regions. Some 56.1 million are in Europe (including the European
part of former USSR), accounting for 7.7 per cent of European
population.
Some 49.9 million are in Asia, accounting for
1.4 percent of the Asian population.
Some 40.8 million are in North America,
accounting for 12.9 percent of the population.
Some 16.3 million are in Africa, representing 2
percent of the African population.
Some 5.9 million are in Latin America,
accounting for 1.1 per cent of the Latin American population.
Some 5.8 million are in Australia, accounting
for 18.7 percent of the population.
The top three migrant receiving countries are
the United States, Russian Federation, and Germany.
The United States, with 35 million migrants,
accounts for 20 percent of the world’s migrant stock.
The Russian Federation, with 13.3 million
migrants, accounts for 7.6 percent of the world’s migrant stock.
Germany, with 7.3 million migrants, accounts
for 4.2 percent of the world’s migrant stock.
Though not an issue in the Philippines, except
in southern Mindanao, internal displacement also increases the
rate of global migration. In 2006, there were 24.5 million
internally displaced persons (IDPs) in at least 52 countries as a
result of conflict, compared to 23.7 million IDPs in 50 countries
the year before.
In 2006, the global number of refugees reached
an estimated 9.9 million persons.
The top three migrant sending countries are
China, India, and the Philippines.
China has a diaspora estimated at 35 million.
India has some 20 million migrants in other parts of the world. The
Philippines has some 7 million overseas Filipinos.
Countries or areas where migrants make up more
than 60 percent of the population are Andorra, Macao Special
Administrative Region of China, Guam, the Holy See, Monaco, Qatar
and the United Arab Emirates.
In 2000, 63 percent of the world’s migrants
lived in developed countries and 37 per cent in the developing
countries.
Migration is not a one-way street. Most
countries are both migrant receiving and sending countries. In the
US, for every four persons coming in, one moved out. In Germany and
Australia, for every three persons coming in, two moved out. In
Japan and Switzerland, for every three persons coming in, one moved
out.
In 2006, remittance flows are estimated to have
exceeded $276 billion worldwide, $206 billion of which went to
developing countries.
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