Of the G7 countries, Canada had the highest crude net migration rate most of the years between 2000 and 2022. In 2023, the net migration ratio of the average population in Canada reached ** per 1,000 inhabitants. On the other hand, the rate in Japan was *** per 1,000 inhabitants. Migration numbers were unusually low in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United States had the ******* net migration levels of the G7 countries between 2000 and 2025. This is unsurprising as it is also the country with the highest population of the seven. Moreover, net migration to the United States decreased from 2016 onwards, following the beginning of the Trump administration. Germany's net migration peaked in 2015 and 2022 after a high number of refugees immigrated to the country, but has been decreasing since. In terms of net migration per 1,000 inhabitants, the U.S. had the highest ratio in 2025.

United States Immigrants Admitted: All Countries data was reported at 1,127,167.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1,183,505.000 Person for 2016. United States Immigrants Admitted: All Countries data is updated yearly, averaging 451,510.000 Person from Sep 1900 (Median) to 2017, with 118 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,827,167.000 Person in 1991 and a record low of 23,068.000 Person in 1933. United States Immigrants Admitted: All Countries data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Department of Homeland Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G087: Immigration.

The United States hosted, by far, the highest number of immigrants in the world in 2024. That year, there were over ** million people born outside of the States residing in the country. Germany and Saudi Arabia followed behind at around **** and **** million, respectively. There are varying reasons for people to emigrate from their country of origin, from poverty and unemployment to war and persecution. American Migration People migrate to the United States for a variety of reasons, from job and educational opportunities to family reunification. Overall, in 2021, most people that became legal residents of the United States did so for family reunification purposes, totaling ******* people that year. An additional ******* people became legal residents through employment opportunities. In terms of naturalized citizenship, ******* people from Mexico became naturalized American citizens in 2021, followed by people from India, the Philippines, Cuba, and China. German Migration Behind the United States, Germany also has a significant migrant population. Migration to Germany increased during the mid-2010's, in light of the Syrian Civil War and refugee crisis, and during the 2020’s, in light of conflict in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Moreover, as German society continues to age, there are less workers in the labor market. In a low-migration scenario, Germany will have **** million skilled workers by 2040, compared to **** million by 2040 in a high-migration scenario. In both scenarios, this is still a decrease from **** skilled workers in 2020.

This table contains 32 series, with data for years 1956 - 1976 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2012-02-16. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Unit of measure (1 items: Persons ...) Geography (32 items: Outside Canada; Great Britain; France; Europe ...).

Estimates for UK immigration, emigration and net migration, year ending June 2012 to year ending December 2024. These are official statistics in development. To access the most up-to-date data for each time period, please use the most recently published dataset.

Debates about migration are often in the news. People quote numbers about how many people are entering and leaving different countries. Governments need to plan and manage public resources based on how their own populations are changing.

Informed discussions and effective policymaking rely on good migration data. But how much do we really know about migration, and where do estimates come from?

In this article, I look at how countries and international agencies define different forms of migration, how they estimate the number of people moving in and out of countries, and how accurate these estimates are.

Migrants without legal status make up a small portion of the overall immigrant population. Most high-income countries and some middle-income ones have a solid understanding of how many immigrants live there. Tracking the exact flows of people moving in and out is trickier, but governments can reliably monitor long-term trends to understand the bigger picture.

Who is considered an international migrant? In the United Nations statistics, an international migrant is defined as “a person who moves to a country other than that of his or her usual residence for at least a year, so that the country of destination effectively becomes his or her new country of usual residence”.1

For example, an Argentinian person who spends nine months studying in the United States wouldn’t count as a long-term immigrant in the US. But an Argentinian person who moves to the US for two years would. Even if someone gains citizenship in their new country, they are still considered an immigrant in migration statistics.

The same applies in reverse for emigrants: someone leaving their home country for more than a year is considered a long-term emigrant for the country they’ve left. This does not change if they acquire citizenship in another country. Some national governments may have definitions that differ from the UN recommendations.

What about illegal migration? “Illegal migration” refers to the movement of people outside the legal rules for entering or leaving a country. There isn’t a single agreed-upon definition, but it generally involves people who breach immigration laws. Some refer to this as irregular or unauthorized migration.

There are three types of migrants who don’t have a legal immigration status. First, those who cross borders without the right legal permissions. Second, those who enter a country legally but stay after their visa or permission expires. Third, some migrants have legal permission to stay but work in violation of employment restrictions — for example, students who work more hours than their visa allows.

Tracking illegal migration is difficult. In regions with free movement, like the European Union, it’s particularly challenging. For example, someone could move from Germany to France, live there without registering, and go uncounted in official migration records.2 The rise of remote work has made it easier for people to live in different countries without registering as employees or taxpayers.

Immigration and emigration in the Netherlands and the administrative corrections by country of birth, sex, age and marital status.

CBS is in transition towards a new classification of the population by origin. Greater emphasis is now placed on where a person was born, aside from where that person’s parents were born. The term ‘migration background’ is no longer used in this regard. The main categories western/non-western are replaced by categories based on continents and a few countries that share a specific migration history with the Netherlands. The new classification by origin is being introduced gradually in tables and publications on population by origin.

Data available from: 2020

Status of the figures: All data recorded in this publication are final data.

Changes as from 4 July 2025: Final figures of 2024 have been added.

When will new figures be published? The final figures of 2025 will be added in the third quarter of 2026 in this publication.

Sweden was the Nordic country that received the highest number of immigrants from 2001 to 2021. In 2021, nearly ****** people immigrated to Sweden, but was overtaken by Denmark in 2022. Sweden was also the country in the region with the highest net migration over the last years. Iceland, which also has the smallest population of the five, had the lowest number of immigrants. Migration to Sweden As the Nordic country with the highest number of migrants, nearly ** percent of survey respondents consider immigration an important issue for Swedish society, more than other European countries. In 2023, most immigrants to Sweden were Swedes returning to the country, followed by India, Poland, and Germany. The need for migration in Nordic nations Migrants often fill in gaps within labor markets that local populations cannot fill. In Nordic nations, these gaps are becoming more apparent as fertility rates decrease. Over the past decade, crude birth rates have decreased in all Nordic countries. Meanwhile, those aged 70 years and older are becoming larger portions of Nordic societies. Declining birth rates combined with aging societies mean that labor markets will be challenged to have enough workers.

The rating reflects the number of migrants in the country. It allows you to assess how attractive the country is for foreigners to live and work, as well as in terms of migration legislation.

This dataset provides a comprehensive look at population and migration trends in five South Asian countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, covering the years 1960 to 2023. The data is sourced directly from the World Bank API and contains detailed statistics on total population and net migration for each year.

This dataset is ideal for:

• Time-series analysis to study population trends over six decades.
• Migration studies to assess policy impacts and demographic shifts.
• Data visualization for dashboards and presentations.
• Machine learning applications in predictive analytics.

Columns: - Country: Name of the country. - Year: Year of the recorded data. - Total Population: The total population of the country. - Net Migration: Net migration balance (positive for immigration surplus, negative for emigration surplus).

Key Insights: - Afghanistan: Significant migration shifts due to conflicts and crises. - India: Continuous population growth with varying migration trends. - Bangladesh: A history of large emigration and its impact on demographics. - Pakistan: Migration surpluses in some years and large outflows in others. - Sri Lanka: Gradual population growth and consistent emigration patterns.

Eurostat's annual collections of statistics on international migration flows are structured as follows:

• NOWCAST: Annual collection of provisional monthly data on live births and deaths covering at least 6 months of the reference year (Article 4.3 of https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2014/205/oj/eng" target="_self">Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014) and provisional monthly data on migrants covering at least 6 months of the reference year on a voluntary basis.
• DEMOBAL (Demographic balance): Annual collection of provisional data on population, total live births and total deaths at national level (Article 4.1 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 205/2014) and provisional data on total migrants at national level on a voluntary basis.
• POPSTAT (population statistics): The most in-depth annual national and regional data collection on demography and migration, for population, births, deaths, immigrants, emigrants, marriages and divorces by a large number of breakdowns. (Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 and Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007).

The aim is to collect annual mandatory and voluntary data from the national statistical institutes. Mandatory data are those defined by the legislation listed under ‘6.1. Institutional mandate — legal acts and other agreements’.

The quality of the demographic data collected on a voluntary basis depends on the availability and quality of information provided by the national statistical institutes.

For more information on mandatory/voluntary data collection, see 6.1. Institutional mandate — legal acts and other agreements.

The following data on migrants are collected under unified demographic data collection:

• Immigrants by age, sex and:
  • Country of citizenship;
  • Country of birth;
  • Country of previous residence.
• Immigrants by country of citizenship and country of birth.
• Emigrants by age, sex and:
  • Country of citizenship;
  • Country of birth;
  • Country of next residence.

Migration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that has significant social, economic, and political implications. Net migration, which is the difference between the number of people entering and leaving a country, is an important measure of the movement of people across borders. Net migration can be influenced by a variety of factors, including economic opportunities, political stability, social networks, and cultural ties.

The net migration per country dataset provides a comprehensive overview of the net migration of each country. The dataset includes information on the number of immigrants, emigrants, and net migration, covering all countries in the world. It is compiled from various sources, including national statistical agencies, international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), and other relevant data sources.

The net migration per country dataset can be used by researchers, policymakers, and the general public to gain insight into the patterns and trends of migration across the world and to compare the relative levels of migration across different countries and regions. It can also be used to monitor changes in migration patterns over time and to evaluate the effectiveness of migration policies and strategies.

Overall, the net migration per country dataset is an important resource for understanding the dynamics of migration and for developing policies and strategies that promote safe, orderly, and regular migration for the benefit of migrants, sending countries, and receiving countries alike.

The present data handbook is intended to provide the adequate data material for research on the aspects of international migration. In 1924, the Committee on the Scientific Aspects of Human Migration of the Social Science Research Council gave a suggestion for this collection. The implementation of the statistical study was entrusted to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in New York (Prof. Dr. Willcox), which was supported by the Migration Department of the International Labor Office (ILO) Dr. Ferenczi) in Geneva, Switzerland. The data handbook of Ferenczi and Willcox goes beyond the compilation of known, available migration statistics of the individual countries. In addition to the published official statistics, many materials in various archives have been reviewed, assessed, and edited. The researchers collected national statistics with the aim of compiling them in international tables. The particular challenge of this work lay in the fact that the further the data goes back into the past, the incomplete nature of the national migration statistics increases. For each country, the number of emigrants was gathered according to the country of destination or country of immigration indicated by them. In addition, for each country the immigrants were recorded according to the country of their departure. This should provide an overview of the migration flows for each country. The present collection summarizes the immigration statistics of Canada.

Abstract

This dataset, a product of the Trade Team - Development Research Group, is part of a larger effort in the group to measure the extent of the brain drain as part of the International Migration and Development Program. It measures international skilled migration for the years 1975-2000.

The methodology is explained in: "Tendance de long terme des migrations internationals. Analyse à partir des 6 principaux pays recerveurs", Cécily Defoort.

This data set uses the same methodology as used in the Docquier-Marfouk data set on international migration by educational attainment. The authors use data from 6 key receiving countries in the OECD: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and the US.

It is estimated that the data represent approximately 77 percent of the world’s migrant population.

Bilateral brain drain rates are estimated based observations for every five years, during the period 1975-2000.

Geographic coverage

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, UK and US

Kind of data

Aggregate data [agg]

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

This dataset offers a detailed view of population figures and net migration trends for 186 countries over 63 years, from 1960 to 2023. Sourced from the World Bank API, it combines reliable data with global coverage to support diverse research needs.

Key features:

Population Data: Annual population statistics for each country. Net Migration Data: Yearly net migration figures, reflecting population movements. This dataset is perfect for exploring global demographic shifts, analyzing migration patterns, and their correlations with economic, social, and political factors. Suitable for tasks like time series analysis, visualization, and predictive modeling.

Column Description:

• Country: The name of the country or region.
• Year: The year of the data point (1960–2023).
• Population: The exact total population of the country for the given year.
• Population (in millions): The population value in millions, with the decimal part ignored.
• Net Migration: The net migration for the country in the given year, indicating the number of people moving into or out of the country.

International migration is up 27% in the last decade, with most people moving from the developing world to countries with larger economies.