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The Economist magazine states that today, “The economic conditions now seem propitious for an enormous further expansion of migration.” According to The Economist, the growing divide between rich and poor nations has created both push and pull factors that encourage an increase in movement. If such an increase in migration does occur, it is clear that it will be different from that of previous eras, however.
First, as The Economist points out, opportunities for unskilled workers are dwindling and receiving countries are trying to restrict immigration of unskilled workers and give preference to workers with skills.
Second, immigrants today are more likely to demand stronger legal rights and formal recognition than those previous waves of immigration, raising their profile in the receiving countries and heightening social tension.
Third, the receiving countries are today more likely to offer social welfare services to immigrants than in the past, straining resources and often pitting native citizens against immigrants in a competition for government funds.
There has been a slowing of the absolute number of international migrants, from 41 million between 1975 and 1990, to 36 million between 1990 and 2005. Of the 36 million who migrated between 1990 and 2005, 33 million migrated to industrialized countries. About 75 percent of all migrants live in only 28 countries. One out of every four migrants live in the U.S. and one of every three live in Europe. The United Nations’ State of the World Population 2006 Report noted that this slowing may be due to a drop in the number of refugees.
The 2010 Human Development Report notes that 37 percent of the world’s migrants move from developing countries to developed countries. Most migrants, (60 percent) move within countries of the same category of development. Only three percent of migrants moved from developed countries to developing countries. Half of all migrants moved within their own region, while 40 percent moved to a neighboring country.3
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Figure 1: Status of Ratification of International Legal Instruments Related to International Migration |
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Parties to United Nations Instruments |
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Instrument |
Year Enforced |
No. of Countries ratifying |
No. of Country signatories |
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Migrant Workers |
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1949 ILO Convention Migration for Employment (as of 2008)4 |
1952 |
97 |
47 |
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1975 ILO Convention concerning Migration in Abusive Conditions and the Promotion of Equality of Opportunity and the Treatment of Migrant Workers (as of 2008)5 |
1978 |
143 |
23 |
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1990 International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (as of January 2011)6 |
2003 |
43 |
15 |
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Smuggling and Trafficking |
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2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (as of 2010)7 |
2003 |
146 |
117 |
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2000 Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air (as of 2008)8 |
2004 |
116 |
112 |
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Refugees |
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1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (as of 2008)9 |
1954 |
144 |
147 |
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1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (as of 2008)10 |
1967 |
144 |
147 |
3 http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf
4 Rights of Migrant Workers, OAS, 6, March 2008 http://www.oas.org/dil/esp/migrantes_curso_introductorio_2008_presentaciones_armand_pereira.ppt
7 http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/countrylist-traffickingprotocol.html
8 http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/countrylist-migrantsmugglingprotocol.html
9 http://www.unhcr.org/3b73b0d63.html