Shafaq News – Geneva
The number of international migrants worldwide reached 281million in 2020, equivalent to 3.6% of the global population, according toreports from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and theOrganization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Of the total, 146 million were men and 135 million werewomen, including 28 million children, representing roughly 1.4% of the world’schild population.
The reports noted that 6.2 million new permanent migrantsentered OECD countries in 2024, a 15% increase compared with 2019, the periodpreceding the COVID-19 pandemic.
International Migrants Day, observed on December 18, raisesawareness of the rights, contributions, and challenges of migrants worldwide.
Data from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) indicate that byJune 2025, there were 117.3 million forcibly displaced people globally. Theywere driven from their homes by persecution, conflict, violence, human rightsviolations, or events seriously disrupting public order. This total includes67.8 million internally displaced persons, 42.5 million refugees, and 8.42million asylum seekers seeking international protection.
The IOM report highlights that forced displacement hassteadily increased over the past decade, driven by war, political instability,and natural disasters. By the end of 2022, more than half of the world’srefugees were hosted in just 10 countries, with Turkiye hosting the largestnumber for the seventh consecutive year—around 3.6 million refugees, mostlySyrians under international protection.
According to the OECD report, while permanent migrationflows to member countries slightly declined in 2024 following the pandemic,they remained above historical averages.
During the same year, 3 million new asylum applications weresubmitted to OECD countries, marking the highest number in the organization’shistory. More than half of the applications were lodged in the United States,with notable increases also observed in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Venezuela, Colombia, Syria, Afghanistan, and India were theleading countries of origin for asylum seekers. The OECD report also noted thatseveral countries experiencing high migration flows have implemented policychanges aimed at limiting immigration.
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