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.

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.

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.

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.