The World Migration Report 2024, released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), shows notable changes in global migration patterns, including a record number of displaced individuals and a sharp rise in remittances from abroad. According to the International Organization for Migration’s most recent World Migration Report, male emigration from India accounts for nearly 65% of all external migration, suggesting that men typically migrate for work while women stay behind. Migration from India to the US, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE is among the top 10 country-to-country migration corridors.
What is the World Migration Report 2024 about?
The World Migration Report 2024 is an essential resource for understanding the complexities of human mobility through data and analysis supported by empirical research. Comprehending migratory patterns is crucial for well-informed decision-making and efficacious policy responses in an unpredictable period. The World Migration Report illuminates both established patterns and new issues. Addressing Human Mobility’s problems: To effectively handle the opportunities and problems presented by human mobility, the IOM Report seeks to debunk myths, offer insightful analysis, and motivate action.
Key Findings of the report
- International Migration and Remittances’ Resilience in the Face of COVID-19: Migration abroad is a significant factor in economic expansion and human development. Foreign remittances increased by more than 650% between 2000 and 2022, proving this.
- Remittances to Low- and Middle-income Countries: Immigrants sent 647 billion of the 831 billion in remittances to low- and middle-income nations. Remittances can make up a sizable amount of the GDPs of those nations; worldwide, they now outweigh foreign direct investment in those nations.
- Unprecedented Degrees of Displacement: There are currently 281 million foreign migrants living in the world, while the number of people displaced due to violence, conflict, natural disasters, and other causes reached a record high of 117 million. This emphasises how urgently displacement situations must be addressed.
- Misinformation and Politicisation: Most migration is concentrated in a specific place, safe, and regulated by opportunities and means of subsistence. However, partisanship and disinformation have tainted public discourse, making an accurate and transparent depiction of migratory dynamics necessary.
Climate Change and Migration
The study emphasises that by 2050, 216 million people on six continents are predicted to be forced to relocate within their nations due to climate change adaptation. Climate change does not cause migration alone, but it accelerates displacement by intensifying pre-existing stresses on systems and communities.
Not a Continent Remains Unexposed
Each region of the world is affected by the effects of climate change and the ensuing human migration, as the report’s profiles of the Global North and South show. Droughts and wildfires in nations like Libya, Algeria, and Morocco have caused displacement in North Africa due to notable warming and low rainfall.
Sudden-onset disasters in portions of West and Central Africa have displaced millions of people. At the same time, the Sahel region has seen a 20% decline in rainfall since the 1970s, leaving it more vulnerable to droughts. Climate change-related disasters, including cyclones and droughts, have increased in frequency and intensity across East and Southern Africa.
Oceania, the Americas, the Caribbean, and Asia Face Difficulties
The Indian peninsula in Asia has experienced substantial displacement due to climate change; the floods in Pakistan in 2022 claimed around 1,700 lives and caused over 8 million to be displaced. Bangladesh, a low-lying nation, experiences thousands of annual displacements due to natural catastrophes. Issues facing Central Asia include melting glaciers, growing desertification, and dam failures that cause flooding and evictions. Oceania, the Caribbean, and the Americas also face significant obstacles. The environment boosts domestic and foreign migration in South American nations like Ecuador and Peru. The Caribbean islands are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as storms frequently result in large-scale relocation.
