2020 World Migration Report

In November 2019, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) released the World Migration Report 2020, the tenth in the series. The Report has been produced to contribute to increased understanding of migration throughout the world. 

The highlights of the Report are:

·      The number of international migrants globally in 2019: 272 million (3.5% of the world’s population)

o   52% of international migrants were male; 48% were female.

o   74% of all international migrants were of working age (20–64 years).

·      India continued to be the largest country of origin of international migrants

o   India had the largest number of migrants living abroad (17.5 million), followed by Mexico and China (11.8 million and 10.7 million respectively).

o   The top destination country remained the United States (50.7 million international migrants).

·      The number of migrant workers declined slightly in high income countries while increasing elsewhere

o   Between 2013 and 2017, high-income countries experienced a slight drop in migrant workers (from 112.3 million to 111.2 million). Upper middle-income countries observed the biggest increase (from 17.5 million to 30.5 million).

o   Globally, male migrant workers outnumbered female migrant workers by 28 million in 2017.

o   There were 96 million male migrant workers (58%) and 68 million female migrant workers (42%).

·      International remittances increased to USD 689 billion in 2018

o   The top 3 remittance recipients were India (USD 78.6 billion), China (USD 67.4 billion) and Mexico (USD 35.7 billion).

o   The United States remained the top remittance-sending country (USD 68.0 billion) followed by the United Arab Emirates (USD 44.4 billion) and Saudi Arabia (USD 36.1 billion).

·      The global refugee population was 25.9 million in 2018

o   20.4 million refugees were under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and 5.5 million were refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Near East.

o   52% of the global refugee population was under 18 years of age.

·      The number of internally displaced persons due to violence and conflict reached 41.3 million

o   This was the highest number on record since the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre began monitoring in 1998.

o   The Syrian Arab Republic had the highest number of people displaced (6.1 million) followed by Colombia (5.8 million) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.1 million).

·      The number of stateless persons globally in 2018 was 3.9 million

o   Bangladesh had the largest number of stateless persons (around 906,000). It was followed by Côte d’Ivoire (692,000) and Myanmar (620,000).

The Report includes a chapter on ‘Human Mobility and Adaptation to

Environmental Change.' The chapter provides an overview of three prominent framings of environmental migration and human mobility in the context of climate change: securitization, protection, and adaptation and climate risk

management.

The chapter also highlights existing evidence of patterns of human movements – ranging from migration, displacement and planned relocation – in different settings, principally mountainous areas, drylands, coastal zones and urban areas. This evidence illustrates some of the trade-offs people make as they weigh the realities and potential risks of staying or moving away in the face of environmental and climate stress. It also highlights the relevance of context, as it relates to environmental settings but also how different communities are able to demonstrate resilience as well as adaptive capacities.

The chapter also reviews two key mechanisms in international policy where discussions about environmental migration and human mobility in the context of climate change are taking place. There has been growing recognition in recent years of the need to better integrate migration into global climate and environmental mechanisms, and for climate change mechanisms to incorporate human mobility aspects. Significant steps have been taken to ensure that the issue of human mobility in the context of environment and climate change receives greater consideration at the international level. And yet, its inherent sensitivities means that there is still more work to be done in the development of cohesive policy approaches. Nevertheless, the ultimate success of these frameworks and guidelines relies on the degree to which recommendations are implemented by States and other actors through migration, development, risk and environmental policies in addition to mainstreaming into other programming.

In conclusion, climate science suggests that the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events are rising, exposing more people and their assets to adverse impacts. The places people currently live and work in are under increasing pressure from environmental and climate change. Migration, displacement and planned relocation are capturing increased attention from research, policy and practice as people attempt to move away from stress and risk, and towards safety or opportunity. In this context, measures are needed with the following characteristics:

·      people are enabled to choose whether, when, and with whom to move (existing networks and dignified options appropriate to cultural contexts and preferences);

·      people who move can access livelihood opportunities and remit resources that enhance adaptation; and

·      people who move can do so in a dignified, safe and regular manner.

There is a need for research, policy and practice on which adaptive options can help people move towards well-being even in the face of growing environmental and climate risks.

The importance of environmental, climate change and disaster drivers will continue to be a key area for future research and policy developments in the international migration governance debate. The reality of how slow

and sudden-onset hazards impact people’s livelihoods and influence their migration strategies, as much as the significance of the political questions around migration and climate change issues will continue to position

environmental migration at the forefront of these debates.