Immigrants Mapped

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Immigration is the international flow of people to a target nation of which they are not natives or don’t hold citizenship to live as constant inhabitants. Travelers, commuters, and other short-term stays in a target nation don’t fall under the meaning of immigration.

The increase in immigrants has been substantial over the last several decades, exceeding 280 million people dwelling outside their nation of birth in 2020, up from 172 million in 2000 and 220 million in 2010. Nowadays, immigrants define approximately 3.6% of the globe’s population, it already exceeds some forecasts for 2050.

According to United Nations, The U.S., Germany, and Russia had the most significant number of immigrants of any country, while Tuvalu and Tokelau had the lowest.

Immigrants as a percentage of the population

Top 20 countries by the most significant number of immigrants

1. United States – 46,6 million (14.3% of total population)
2. Germany – 12,0 million (14.9%)
3. Russia – 11,6 million (7.7%)
4. Saudi Arabia – 10,2 million (31.4%)
5. United Kingdom – 8,5 million (13.2%)
6. United Arab Emirates – 8,1 million (83.7%)
7. Canada – 7,8 million (21.9%)
8. Australia – 7,8 million (33.3%)
9. France – 7,8 million (11.1%)
10. Spain – 5,9 million (9.6%)
11. Italy – 5,8 million (8.3%)
12. India – 5,2 million (0.4%)
13. Ukraine – 4,8 million (11.4%)
14. Thailand – 3,9 million (5.6%)
15. Pakistan – 3,6 million (2.2%)
16. Kazakhstan – 3,5 million (21.1%)
17. South Africa – 3,1 million (6%)
18. Jordan – 3,1 million (40.2%)
19. Turkey – 2,9 million (3.8%)
20. Kuwait – 2,9 million (70%)

Reddit user Aeromidd created another exciting map showing emigrant diasporas by nation and region of origin.

Emigrant Diasporas by Country and Region of Origin

Data about the emigrant population living abroad was obtained from the United Nations website (2019), Origin Population from World Bank (2019).

Places with emigrant population > 100 percent origin population:

1. Montserrat – 456.8%
2.  Niue – 361.1%
3. Saint Kitts and Nevis – 231.4%
4. Tokelau – 149.4%
5. Cook Islands – 146.6%
6. Dominica – 109.2%
7. Saint Helena – 108.1%
8. Wallis and Futuna Islands – 104.0%

Places with overseas emigrant population > 66.6 percent (2/3rds) origin population:

1. Monaco – 82.0%
2. Tonga – 74.8%
3. Palestine – 74.4%
4. The Turks and Caicos Islands – 72.2%
5. Suriname – 70.8%
6. Sint Maarten (Dutch part) – 70.4%
7. Guyana – 69.9%

Places with overseas emigrant population > 50 percent origin population:

• Grenada – 67.1%
• Samoa – 62.2%
• Puerto Rico – 61.1%
• Antigua and Barbuda – 55.5%
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 54.8%
• The Syrian Arab Republic – 50.2%
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – 50.1%