How Many Migrants Are in the World?

As of 2024, approximately 281 million people live in a country other than the one they were born in. That is about 3.6% of the world's population, roughly 1 in every 28 people on Earth is an international migrant.

The number has been growing steadily: from 153 million in 1990, to 173 million in 2000, 221 million in 2010, 281 million in 2020, and continuing to rise through 2024. The growth rate is approximately 2.4% per year, meaning the global migrant population increases by roughly 6-7 million people annually, or about 19,000 new migrants per day.

It is important to note that "migrant" in this context means anyone living in a country other than their country of birth, regardless of reason. This includes economic migrants, refugees, students, family reunification, retirees abroad, and expatriates. It does not include internal migrants (people who moved within their own country), which would number well over 1 billion.

Top 20 Destination Countries (Where Migrants Live)

Countries with the largest international migrant populations, based on UN DESA International Migrant Stock 2024.

Top 15 Origin Countries (Where Migrants Come From)

Highest Migrant Share of Population

Some countries have migrant populations that vastly outnumber their native-born citizens:

Refugees vs. Migrants

Of the 281 million international migrants, approximately 36.4 million are refugees (per UNHCR 2024 data), people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, or persecution. The largest refugee-producing countries are Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar. The largest refugee-hosting countries are Turkey (3.6M), Iran (3.4M), Colombia (2.5M), Germany (2.1M), and Pakistan (2.0M).

The remaining ~245 million are voluntary migrants who moved for economic opportunity, education, family, or lifestyle reasons.

Growth of International Migration (1970–2024)

🌍 1 in 30 People on Earth Is a Migrant

With 281 million international migrants out of 8 billion people, roughly 3.6% of humanity lives in a country other than the one they were born in. That percentage has been remarkably stable for decades, hovering between 3% and 4% since 1970. What has changed is the absolute number: because the world population has grown, 3.5% of 8 billion is far more people than 3.5% of 4 billion was in 1975. The typical migrant is not a refugee fleeing war but a working-age adult who moved for economic opportunity.