Human mobility trends in Africa: A snapshot of available evidence

Building on various data sources, this chapter provides an overview of the main migration trends in Africa, examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human mobility across the continent, and analyses emerging and future needs to enhance the availability and quality of migration data. In 2020, in Africa, there were an estimated 25.1 million international migrants, which translated into having 1.9 per cent of the African population – or around one in 50 people – living outside of the country in which they were born. One of the key characteristics of African migration is that the majority of African international migrants do not leave the continent and mostly engage in intra-African migration. Refugee movements and internal displacements are also key features of African migration. The chapter further examines the need to enhance the collection and analysis of high-quality, disaggregated, accurate, timely and reliable data, which are crucial to ensure evidence-based policy and programming, and provide insights or predictions about future trends. In recent years, considerable progress has been made in this regard in Africa. However, more investment in strengthening data ecosystems is needed, while innovation, closer collaboration and better coordination remain essential to respond to emerging data demands.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Life on Land