How European and U.S. unauthorized immigrant populations compare
The size of Europe’s unauthorized immigrant population in 2017 was less than half the number in the United States.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The size of Europe’s unauthorized immigrant population in 2017 was less than half the number in the United States.
Money sent by immigrants to their home countries in sub-Saharan Africa reached a record $41 billion in 2017.
Many Nigerians, Tunisians and Kenyans say they plan to leave their countries in the next five years. Some who plan to migrate say they have taken steps to do so, such as gathering information about a destination country and saving money.
As the number of international migrants reaches new highs, people around the world show little appetite for more migration – both into and out of their countries.
A majority of people in several European countries support taking in refugees. Yet there is widespread disapproval of how the EU has handled the refugee issue.
Remittance flows decreased worldwide for a second consecutive year in 2016, the first back-to-back decline in over three decades. Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, however, rose to a record high.
Sub-Saharan African nations account for nine of the 10 fastest growing international migrant populations since 2010.
Millions of people around the world have migrated to the U.S. and other countries in recent years – some voluntarily, others to flee political turmoil, persecution or war.
Worldwide, an estimated $582 billion was sent by migrants to relatives in their home countries in 2015, a 2% decline from 2014.
The UK has the fifth-largest immigrant population in the world, at 8.5 million.
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