NEW YORK – The coronavirus pandemic has slowed global migration by nearly 30%, with around two million fewer migrants between 2019 and last year, according to a United Nations report released yesterday.
Some 281 million people were living outside their country of origin in 2020.
The report, titled “International Migration 2020”, showed that two-thirds of registered migrants lived in just 20 countries.
The United States tops the list, with 51 million international migrants last year.
Next is Germany with 16 million, Saudi Arabia (13 million), Russia (12 million) and Britain (nine million).
India tops the list of countries with the largest diasporas in 2020, with 18 million Indians living overseas.
Other nations with a large transnational community include Mexico and Russia, each with 11 million, China with 10 million and Syria with eight million.
In 2020, the largest number of international migrants resided in Europe, with a total of 87 million.
Nearly half of international migrants were living in the region they came from, with Europe accounting for the largest share of intra-regional migration.
Some 70% of migrants born in Europe live in another European country. – AFP, January 16, 2021
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