Immigration by Country 2022

In international politics, immigration refers to the practice of leaving one’s country of citizenship (often one’s place of birth) in favour of one in which one does not have citizenship.

Foreign-born residents, often known as immigrants, may relocate to a new nation for a variety of reasons, such as improved economic prospects, more work possibilities, the chance to retire with loved ones, or a more comfortable standard of living.




The reasons for this disparity are many. Some nations welcome and even encourage U.S. citizens to move to them, while others are far more difficult to settle in.

Immigration by Country 2022

The Top 10 Countries with the Most Foreign-Born Residents (Immigrants) by 2020, according to the United Nations:

  1. United States — 50.6 million
  2. Germany — 15.8 million
  3. Saudi Arabia — 13.5 million
  4. Russia — 11.6 million
  5. United Kingdom — 9.4 million
  6. United Arab Emirates — 8.7 million
  7. France — 8.5 million
  8. Canada — 8.0 million
  9. Australia — 7.7 million
  10. Spain — 6.8 million

The United States hosts a larger percentage of immigrants than any other country. Roughly 50.6 million Americans, or about 15% of the total population of 331.4 million, were born somewhere other than the United States.

The total number of foreign-born residents in the United States has grown by at least 400% since 1965. Immigrants to the United States come from all corners of the globe, making up an astonishingly varied population.




More than 11 million immigrants, or nearly 25% of all immigrants to the United States, have Mexico as their place of origin.

Unless their ancestors were brought here as slaves, most people living in the Great American Melting Pot today can trace their ancestry back to immigrants, and early European settlers in particular.

The United Arab Emirates stands out among the top ten since over 89% of the country’s entire population is made up of immigrants. Thus, the United Arab Emirates has one of the highest percentages of foreign-born citizens worldwide.

Immigration by Country 2022

What is the difference between immigrants and emigrants?

It’s not always clear what sets immigration and immigrant apart from emigration and emigrant. It’s not often clear from their definitions, but technically speaking, these two concepts are opposites. Definition: An immigrant is a person who moved to the nation they now reside in from another country.

However, an emigrant is someone who has permanently relocated from their nation. As a result, depending on whether you’re in the country of origin or the country of destination, the individual making the move might be referred to either as an immigrant or an emigrant.




Having an example handy may help clarify this nuance: Try to picture someone who was born in South Africa but who has made the United States their permanent home.

That individual is an immigrant in the eyes of their new American acquaintances because they emigrated to or immigrated to the United States. However, to their former social circle in South Africa, these same individual is now known as an emigrant because they depart from the country.

Referring to national populations, immigrants means individuals who were born in another country but have since relocated to the target country, while emigrants means people who have left the target country in search of a better life elsewhere.

Immigration by Country 2022

List of the Top 10 Countries by Number of Emigrants (Former Residents Now Living Abroad) – United Nations 2020: 

  1. India — 17.9 million
  2. Mexico — 11.1 million
  3. Russia — 10.8 million
  4. China — 10.5 million
  5. Syria — 8.5 million
  6. Bangladesh — 7.4 million
  7. Pakistan — 6.3 million
  8. Ukraine — 6.1 million
  9. Philippines — 6.1 million
  10. Afghanistan — 5.9 million

Also See: How Many States in Mexico 2022

With a total of 17.9 million individuals, India has the highest number of nationals residing abroad.

Most governments care more about individuals who enter the nation and utilise government-funded services or infrastructure than they do about those who leave the country, hence emigrant figures are not usually as precise as immigrant numbers.

This reasoning isn’t always applicable, however, since regimes like North Korea and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan have a vested interest in keeping their citizens at home.




Country# Immigrants% of Population# Emigrants
United States5063283615.28002996223
Germany1576245718.81003855268
Saudi Arabia1345484238.6500299268
Russia116369117.970010756697
United Kingdom935958713.79004732510
United Arab Emirates871633288.1300203214
France852487613.06002341908
Canada804932321.33001292329
Australia768586030.1400598765
Spain684220214.63001489823
Italy638699810.56003258831
Turkey60526527.18003411408
Ukraine499738711.43006139144
India48787040.350017869492
Kazakhstan373207319.88004203899
Thailand36324965.20001086985
Malaysia347656010.74001860037
Jordan345769133.8900814909
Pakistan32765801.48006328400
Kuwait311015972.8300212271
Hong Kong296249139.52001007788
South Africa28604954.8200914901
Iran27972353.33001325113
Japan27709962.1900808825
Ivory Coast25648579.72001149298
Singapore252364843.1400348464
Switzerland249124928.7900713623
Oman237283646.470025099
Netherlands235833313.7600970403
Argentina22817285.05001076148
Qatar222619277.270025705
Bangladesh21154081.28007401763
Belgium200547917.3000577463
Sweden200390819.8400327581
Israel195357522.5700358691
Colombia19053933.74003024273
Austria173818319.3000600740
South Korea17281823.37002204554
Uganda17203133.7600781440
Lebanon171276225.0900856814
Chile16450158.6100643800
New Zealand138172428.6500806159
Sudan13791473.15002104887
Greece134045612.86001088507
Venezuela13241934.66005415337
Nigeria13085680.63001670455
Peru12245193.71001519635
Mexico11976240.930011185737
Uzbekistan11620073.47002027823
Ethiopia10855170.9400946129
Brazil10797080.51001897128
Belarus106709011.29001483626
Kenya10501471.9500535348
China10396750.070010461170
Portugal10019639.83002081419
DR Congo9528711.06001832069
Bahrain93609455.010058270
South Sudan8822527.88002575870
Ireland87125617.6400734317
Syria8687114.96008457214
Norway85223815.7200191392
Libya82653712.0300185518
Serbia8230119.42001003962
Poland8172542.16004825096
Ecuador7847874.45001127891
Burkina Faso7239893.46001599347
Denmark71757412.3900257025
Romania7053103.67003987093
Angola6564342668066
Dominican Republic6037945.57001608567
Hungary5845676.0500714420
Cameroon5792092.1800441015
Chad5474943.3300222303
Egypt5439370.53003610461
Czech Republic5409215.05001026108
Croatia52805612.86001039526
Costa Rica52072910.2200150241
Rwanda5139073.9700492489
Nepal4875641.67002599701
Mali4858292.40001303511
Ghana4764121.53001004324
Tanzania4260170.7100327863
Gabon41665118.720048392
Zimbabwe4161412.80001243314
Macau40349062.1400145192
Benin3942763.2500681827
Republic of the Congo3876067.0200223767
Yemen3871131.30001301166
Finland3860526.9700311889
Iraq3657660.91002077976
Indonesia3555050.13004601369
Niger3480561.4400399707
Burundi3447672.9000551105
Mozambique3388501.0800640160
Panama3131657.2600139520
Luxembourg29806247.620081757
Togo2799363.3800545409
Slovenia27796413.3700160197
Tajikistan2760312.8900586851
Senegal2749291.6400693765
Palestine2727845.35004022791
Azerbaijan2522282.49001163922
Algeria2503780.57002022337
Puerto Rico2471328.64001850529
Latvia23942212.6900380010
Equatorial Guinea23061816.4400128774
Philippines2255250.21006094307
Estonia19927715.0200206631
Kyrgyzstan1990113.0500774377
Slovakia1971613.6100419651
Turkmenistan1949203.2300242554
Malawi1913621311052
Cyprus19036615.7700173210
Armenia1903496.4200958190
Zambia1879551.0200200700
Bulgaria1843632.65001683626
Mauritania1822863.9200130226
Paraguay1695672.3800896484
Bolivia1641211.4100927244
Lithuania1451845.3300658057
Afghanistan1440980.37005853838
Reunion13176914.72003064
North Macedonia1313116.3000693896
Guinea1214370.9200550790
Djibouti11973812.120018365
French Guiana11924939.93004595
Malta11476025.9900102793
Mayotte11154040.88006767
Botswana1102684.690063561
Namibia1093914.310047770
Uruguay1082673.1200367060
Moldova1044382.59001159443
Morocco1023580.28003262222
Guadeloupe9020622.540012542
Central African Republic885461.8300816668
Liberia879471.7400233564
Guatemala843110.47001368431
Guam8047247.68002213
Georgia793681.9900861077
Cambodia793410.47001104819
Trinidad and Tobago788495.6300330519
Vietnam767670.08003392025
Myanmar764460.14003711751
New Caledonia7314126.89005839
Montenegro7099911.3000132965
Maldives7007912.96003715
Martinique6862418.290012964
Iceland6542419.170043251
Bahamas6358316.170053793
Belize6204315.600052756
Tunisia601450.5100902268
Somalia585900.37002034221
Curacao5721036.91007611
United States Virgin Islands5675353.39003908
Sierra Leone537460.6700152486
Bhutan536126.950051998
Aruba5359350.190021456
North Korea495490.1900110377
Albania488101.70001250451
Laos487310.67001296051
Suriname478018.1500273209
Andorra4557458.980011132
Isle of Man4304050.620012032
El Salvador427670.66001599058
Nicaragua421670.6400718154
Sri Lanka402540.19001960025
Honduras391950.4000985077
Bosnia and Herzegovina360421.10001687639
Madagascar355630.1300193526
Barbados3486912.130099611
Eswatini328582.830050039
Guyana311693.9600438413
Papua New Guinea310680.35004810
French Polynesia3008110.71002157
Antigua And Barbuda2938630.010066561
Cayman Islands2924244.49001908
Mauritius288932.2700182973
Sint Maarten2884570.68002191
Monaco2660167.790032552
Liechtenstein2587767.87003706
Turks and Caicos Islands2574866.50002689
Jamaica236290.80001118931
American Samoa2360842.77001832
British Virgin Islands2216473.29005355
Northern Mariana Islands2184337.95002741
Mongolia213450.650082098
Bermuda1973930.890021107
Haiti188840.17001769671
Guinea-Bissau179450.9100111790
Cape Verde157882.8400187558
Fiji140871.5700233856
Eritrea139340.3900802822
Seychelles1305013.270029258
Comoros124961.4400150823
Lesotho120600.5600202164
Gibraltar1119033.210013389
Timor-Leste83990.640039588
Saint Lucia83384.540071227
Dominica828411.510078191
Saint Kitts and Nevis772514.520050285
Grenada72136.410062204
Faroe Islands681213.940012927
Greenland589910.390017866
Anguilla571538.09002505
San Marino554316.34002407
Western Sahara54240.9100194932
Palau508828.12002656
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines47384.270055525
Cook Islands457926.070021106
Samoa40212.0300135732
Tonga37423.540074550
Marshall Islands32985.570010886
Vanuatu32571.06007246
Kiribati31262.62005103
Cuba30240.03001757300
Micronesia28322.460024945
Solomon Islands25200.37004270
Nauru220120.33002454
Sao Tome and Principe21390.980039608
Wallis and Futuna204018.150011917
Falkland Islands195756.24001518
Montserrat137927.620024582
Tokelau123891.23002112
Saint Pierre and Miquelon99817.2200433
Vatican City809100174
Niue58835.79005186
Tuvalu2392.03003670




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