Migration
World Migration Report 2024
Since 2000 IOM has been producing its flagship world migration reports every two years. The World Migration Report 2024 the twelfth in the world migration report series has been produced to contribute to increased understanding of migration and mobility throughout the world. The last two years saw major migration and displacement events that have caused great hardship and trauma as well as loss of life. In addition to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza millions of people have been displaced due to other conflicts such as within and/or from the Syrian Arab Republic Yemen the Central African Republic the Democratic Republic of the Congo the Sudan Ethiopia and Myanmar. There have also been large scale displacements triggered by climate- and weather-related disasters in many parts of the world in 2022 and 2023 including in Pakistan the Philippines China India Bangladesh Brazil and Colombia. Further in February 2023 south-east Türkiye and northern Syrian Arab Republic experienced powerful earthquakes resulting in more than 50000 deaths. By March an estimated 2.7 million people had been displaced in Türkiye and many had been left homeless in the Syrian Arab Republic. This new edition presents key data and information on migration as well as thematic chapters on highly topical migration issues and is structured to focus on two key contributions for readers. Part I includes key information on migration and migrants (including migration-related statistics); and part II includes balanced evidence-based analysis of complex and emerging migration issues.
Growing migration inequality: What do the global data actually show?
International migration is strongly associated with opportunity for positive advancement most typically in economic terms. A long-standing influential international migration narrative is deeply intertwined with the notion of betterment whether this relates to individual attainment household income or community resilience and coping strategies. People migrate for better lives.
A post-pandemic rebound? Migration and mobility globally after COVID-19
The impact of COVID-19 on human populations cannot be overstated. The pandemic caused 12 per cent of worldwide deaths in 2020/2021. In Western Europe the 2020 mortality increase was the highest since the Second World War and in Eastern Europe it was the highest since the break-up of the Soviet Union. COVID-19 vaccines were able to prevent approximately 19.8 million excess deaths. But this did not prevent COVID-19 from altering overall life expectancy in many countries: life expectancy at birth declined for males in the United States of America by 2.2 years in Lithuania by 1.7 years and comparable declines were recorded in 11 countries for males and 8 countries for females.
Migration and migrants: A global overview
The significant variation and diversity in migration and displacement around the world make capturing global trends a challenge. We know from the increasing amount of information at our disposal that migration is often a highly politicized topic making it increasingly prone to misinformation and disinformation by interest groups with political or commercial gains in mind. Straightforward accurate accounts of migration assist in enabling us to question migration myths and critically engage with mis- and disinformation materials. Against this backdrop describing and analysing how migration around the world is changing from a range of different perspectives including those entailing economic social and security dimensions (and associated legal policy frameworks) must start with an understanding of fundamental metrics. Human migration may well be an age-old activity touching almost every society around the world; however it is changing in important ways. Examining the shifts in scale direction demography and frequency can illuminate how migration is evolving while also pointing to long-term trends that have been shaped by historical events as well as more recent developments.
Acknowledgements
The editors are particularly grateful to the authors of the thematic chapters and to all of the IOM and academic reviewers who provided constructive feedback on the draft chapters. We are especially grateful to IOM’s Director General Amy E. Pope and members of IOM’s senior leadership team who supported this edition including Ugochi Daniels Eva Åkerman Börje Mohammed Abdiker Kristin Dadey Maryline Py Michele Klein Solomon Othman Belbeisi Diego Beltrand Marcelo Pisani Ashraf El Nour Sara Lou Arriola Ola Henrikson Manfred Profazi Pär Liljert Alejandro Guidi Aissata Kane and Dejan Keserovic.
Climate change, food insecurity and human mobility: Interlinkages, evidence and action
Climate change is widely considered an “existential threat to humanity” in the words of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Its impacts are being increasingly felt albeit unevenly by communities and countries worldwide. In recent years different editions of the World Migration Report have explored the linkages between human mobility the environment and climate change accompanying the growth in scientific literature devoted to this topic with specific focuses on migration as adaptation and on the links between slow-onset climate change and migration.
Report overview: Migration continues to be part of the solution in a rapidly changing world, but key challenges remain
It has been more than two years since the release of the World Migration Report 2022 which provided an overview of the global transformations intensely affecting migration and displacement around the world. While acknowledging ongoing changes related to demographic transitions as well as economic and social transformations the 2022 report outlined the major geopolitical environmental and technological transformations that shape migration and mobility sometimes profoundly. The impacts of these systemic global shifts have only intensified further in the last two-year period. For example hardening geopolitics has seen us witness previously unthinkable conflict in terms of both scale and nature. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in early 2022 signalled a pivotal shift for the world with some arguing that it “marked an abrupt end to 30 years of globalization and all the international cooperation that made that possible”. The immediate impacts on Ukraine and Europe continue to be felt by millions of people while the global impacts have touched many times more as the consequences of the war ripple through global food security energy security international law multilateralism military strategy and alliances.
Foreword
Migration is as old as humanity itself. Throughout history people have migrated in search of better lives to flee conflict or seek safety or simply to find new opportunities. It may surprise people that most migration is regular safe and orderly – regionally focused and often directly connected to work. What captures attention in headlines is just part of the story. Migration is an issue that has been deeply affected by misinformation and politicization and dominant narratives have strayed far away from balanced accurate accounts of migration – both its simple truths and its complex situation-specific realities.
Migration and human security: Unpacking myths and examining new realities and responses
The recent events in Ukraine have highlighted in stark terms the links between national security energy security food security and the catastrophic effects on the human security of Ukrainians but also for many other societies around the world. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected conflict and violence in one country or region is more likely than ever to have ripple effects in other parts of the world. At a time when food crop supply chains are the most globalized in history the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has highlighted the devastating impacts on food and human security for many parts of the developing world.
Introduction
At a time when an unwarranted fear of the African migrant in the Sahel and across the Mediterranean Sea had taken over public narratives on immigration the first edition of the Africa Migration Report was published to change dominant discourses. The imperative was clear: we must “protect the millions of people who have been forcibly displaced by conflict and disaster and create opportunities for Pan-African solidarity rather than constrain them” (African Union and IOM 2020:10). This urgency remains as critical today as it was then because African people are on the move across the continent in search of both safety and opportunities. Beyond disasters and conflicts migration has always been “woven into the DNA of African communities economies and societies” (ibid.:3).
Missing migrants in and from Africa: A look into the data and policy gaps
More than 12000 deaths during migration have been documented in Africa since 2014 and at least 20000 African nationals have died or disappeared during migration worldwide. While these figures are certainly a gross underestimate of the true number of missing migrants in the African context they nonetheless indicate the urgency of addressing this issue. This chapter discusses the far-reaching impacts that these disappearances and deaths have on families and communities on the continent and beyond and urges action on three core areas: prevention of further deaths and disappearances; resolution of cases of missing migrants (including the identification of unknown bodies whose migratory status is undetermined); and support for families directly impacted by these tragedies. With tens of thousands of Africans directly affected by these tragedies across the continent the time for Africa to take the lead on resolving the crisis of missing migrants is now.
The digital transformation of Africa and the flow of people and goods
In a period in which many African citizens and migrants are not fully aware of their digital rights and do not have the instruments to understand the complexity of data-driven technology the top-down deployment of new technologies in the African migration policy cycle has caused concerns over the quality of existing regulatory and legal systems as well as worries about the risk of exacerbating persistent forms of marginalization. Against this backdrop this chapter adopts an integrated approach to the study of the relationship between digital infrastructures and the movement of people goods and services from within and to Africa. First it offers an overview of the digital transformation in Africa. Second it studies the movement of people and goods. Based on the best available evidence and in line with key continental and regional policy documents it identifies four policy priorities: strengthening the digital rights of African citizens; fostering cooperation between African countries on the issue of data protection; considering and recognizing that different degrees of digital literacy exacerbate existing hierarchies; and creating a social and cultural ecosystem for the digitalization of basic services.
Free movement of persons, informal trade and the African continental free trade area
Nearly 85.8 per cent of Africa’s employed population works in the informal sector. In some countries in sub-Saharan Africa the informal sector accounts for over 90 per cent of employment while informal output is as high as 62 per cent of official GDP. Despite this large size and its contribution to the growth of African economies the sector remains significantly untapped. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can play a significant role in optimizing the benefits of informal trade particularly informal cross-border trade. For this to happen however the AfCFTA would need to be accompanied by the liberalization of the movement of persons across borders through the elimination or at least the reduction of the stringent travel requirements. This chapter analyses how the AfCFTA impacts informal trade particularly informal cross-border trade. It also highlights how the free movement of persons can help Africa maximize the benefits of informal cross-border trade and in the long run integrate the sector into formal structures of trade for sustainable economic growth.
A critical appraisal of labour mobility trends and their impact on regional integration in Africa
This chapter analyses the multifaceted nature and realities of international labour mobility in Africa in the context of regional frameworks regarding such issues as the free movement of persons free trade labour migration and labour market access. Primarily it evaluates the impact of these frameworks on regional integration and sustainable development. It considers gendered perspectives and the underlying drivers of labour migration within and from Africa. Furthermore it explores the current state of migration on the continent as well as selected operational arrangements to facilitate free movement free trade and liberalized labour migration as well as the limitations of such arrangements particularly in addressing skills mismatches and unemployment. Last it underscores critical areas that require concerted attention from policymakers and practitioners to holistically enhance the implementation of free movement regimes and address the highlighted disparities to promote a balanced approach to temporary seasonal and permanent labour mobility from and within Africa.
Migration governance in Africa: Insights from the migration governance indicators data
This chapter examines the implementation of the African Union’s revised Migration Policy Framework for Africa (MPFA) and its eight thematic pillars by conducting a descriptive analysis of national and local data from the IOM Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) for 35 African Union Member States and for the years 2018–2022. The analysis identifies well-established policy areas as well as those with untapped potential for development. Areas that are well developed in some cases with results better than global averages include the adoption of national migration strategy documents and their harmonization with development- gender- and environment-related efforts the establishment of interministerial coordination mechanisms and the creation of emigration- and diaspora-related structures (in line with the MPFA Pillar 1). Areas with the greatest potential for future development include the collection of migration-related questions beyond national censuses (Pillar 1) the improvement of migrants’ access to education and vocational training (Pillar 2) and the inclusion of displacement in national development plans (Pillar 7).
Migration-sensitive health-system planning to support implementation of the African union’s migration policy framework
Health is a cross-cutting issue within the African Union’s Revised Migration Policy Framework for Africa and Plan of Action (2018–2030) (MPFA). As well migration is recognized as being key to development benefiting not only those who move but also countries of origin and of destination. However for these benefits to be achieved migration must be managed in ways that will maintain the health of migrants. To address this migration-sensitive responses to health are needed whereby population mobility is embedded in the design of health-related interventions policy and research with health benefits addresseed at both the individual and population levels. Unfortunately health systems across the continent have largely failed to engage with the realities of migration jeopardizing efforts to effectively implement African Union policies addressing migration and health whilst simultaneously limiting progress towards international health and development goals including universal health coverage (UHC). In this context this chapter outlines two key areas for action to support the development and implementation of effective responses to migration and health: improving governance responses to migration and health; and addressing the social and structural determinants of health. Recommendations include establishing continental and subregional forums to strengthen migration and health governance in ways that are responsive to existing strategic plans including the MPFA.
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.