2.13 -Migration Patterns

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Never in the world's history have so many people been on the move, from rural areas to cities or across international boundaries. More than 250 million people live outside their nation of birth and are therefore, officially designated as immigrants. Much of this movement is driven by globalization and economic factors.

More than half the world's migrants live in Europe and North America with 82 million and 59 million respectively. North Africa and Western Asia host the third largest population with 49 million. The top six destination countries are: the U.S., Russia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. The five countries with the most emigrants living abroad are: India, Mexico, Russia, China and Bangladesh.

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Not all migrants leave for economic reasons. War, famine,  and environmental destruction are also major reasons people seek out a life elsewhere. Accurate data on refugees is hard to come by. The U.N. estimates that there are approximately 60 million refugees around the world. More than half of  these are in Africa and Southwest Asia. The conflict in Syria alone has displaced 50% of that country's population.