Sign Immigration near the border between Mali and

Mauritania; sponsored by EU

The term immigration was coined in the 17th century,

referring to non-warlike population movements between the
emerging nation states.

When people cross national borders during their migration,

they are called migrants or immigrants (from
Latin: migrare, wanderer) from the perspective of the
country which they enter. From the perspective of the
country which they leave, they are called emigrant or
outmigrant.[26] Sociology designates immigration usually
as migration (as well as emigration accordingly outward
migration).

Statistics

The global population of immigrants has grown since 1990

but has remained constant at around 3% of the world's
population.[27]
As of 2015, the number of international migrants has
reached 244 million worldwide, which reflects a 41%
increase since 2000. One third of the world's international
migrants are living in just 20 countries. The largest number
of international migrants live in the United States, with 19%
of the world's total. Germany and Russia host 12 million
migrants each, taking the second and third place in countries
with the most migrants worldwide. Saudi Arabia hosts 10
million migrants, followed by the United Kingdom (9
million) and the United Arab Emirates (8 million).[28]

Between 2000 and 2015, Asia added more international

migrants than any other major area in the world, gaining 26
million. Europe added the second largest with about 20
million. In most parts of the world, migration occurs
between countries that are located within the same major
area.[28]

In 2015, the number of international migrants below the age

of 20 reached 37 million, while 177 million are between the
ages of 20 and 64. International migrants living in Africa
were the youngest, with a median age of 29, followed by Asia
(35 years), and Latin America/Caribbean (36 years), while
migrants were older in Northern America (42 years), Europe
(43 years), and Oceania (44 years).[28]

The number of migrants and migrant workers per country

in 2015

Nearly half (43%) of all international migrants originate in

Asia, and Europe was the birthplace of the second largest
number of migrants (25%), followed by Latin America
(15%). India has the largest diaspora in the world (16
million people), followed by Mexico (12 million)
and Russia (11 million).[28]

2012 survey

A 2012 survey by Gallup found that given the opportunity,

640 million adults would migrate to another country, with
23% of these would-be immigrant choosing the United
States as their desired future residence, while 7% of
respondents, representing 45 million people, would choose
the United Kingdom. The other top desired destination
countries (those where an estimated 69 million or more
adults would like to go) were Canada, France, Saudi
Arabia, Australia, Germany and Spain.[29]

Understanding of immigration

The largest Vietnamese market in Prague, also known as

"Little Hanoi". In 2009, there were about 70,000 Vietnamese
in the Czech Republic.[30]

London has become multiethnic as a result of immigration.

[31]
 In London in 2008, Black British and British
Asian children outnumbered white British children by about
3 to 2 in government-run schools.[32]

One theory of immigration distinguishes between push and

pull factors.[33]

Push factors refer primarily to the motive for immigration

from the country of origin. In the case of economic
migration (usually labor migration), differentials in wage
rates are common. If the value of wages in the new country
surpasses the value of wages in one's native country, he or
she may choose to migrate, as long as the costs are not too
high. Particularly in the 19th century, economic expansion of
the US increased immigrant flow, and nearly 15% of the
population was foreign born,[34] thus making up a significant
amount of the labor force.

As transportation technology improved, travel time, and

costs decreased dramatically between the 18th and early
20th century. Travel across the Atlantic used to take up to 5
weeks in the 18th century, but around the time of the 20th
century it took a mere 8 days.[35] When the opportunity
cost is lower, the immigration rates tend to be higher.
[35]
 Escape from poverty (personal or for relatives staying
behind) is a traditional push factor, and the availability
of jobs is the related pull factor. Natural disasters can
amplify poverty-driven migration flows. Research shows
that for middle-income countries, higher temperatures
increase emigration rates to urban areas and to other
countries. For low-income countries, higher temperatures
reduce emigration.[36]
Emigration and immigration are sometimes mandatory in a
contract of employment: religious missionaries and
employees of transnational corporations, international non-
governmental organizations, and the diplomatic
service expect, by definition, to work "overseas". They are
often referred to as "expatriates", and their conditions of
employment are typically equal to or better than those
applying in the host country (for similar work).[citation needed]

Non-economic push factors include persecution (religious

and otherwise), frequent abuse, bullying, oppression, ethnic
cleansing, genocide, risks to civilians during war, and social
marginalization.[37] Political motives traditionally motivate
refugee flows; for instance, people may emigrate in order to
escape a dictatorship.[38]

Some migration is for personal reasons, based on

a relationship (e.g. to be with family or a partner), such as
in family reunification or transnational marriage (especially
in the instance of a gender imbalance). Recent research has
found gender, age, and cross-cultural differences in the
ownership of the idea to immigrate.[39] In a few cases, an
individual may wish to immigrate to a new country in a form
of transferred patriotism. Evasion of criminal justice (e.g.,
avoiding arrest) is a personal motivation. This type of
emigration and immigration is not normally legal, if a crime
is internationally recognized, although criminals may
disguise their identities or find other loopholes to evade
detection. For example, there have been reports of war
criminals disguising themselves as victims of war or conflict
and then pursuing asylum in a different country.[40][41][42]

Barriers to immigration come not only in legal form or

political form; natural and social barriers to immigration
can also be very powerful. Immigrants when leaving their
country also leave everything familiar: their family, friends,
support network, and culture. They also need to liquidate
their assets, and they incur the expense of moving. When
they arrive in a new country, this is often with many
uncertainties including finding work,[43] where to live, new
laws, new cultural norms, language or accent issues,
possible racism, and other exclusionary behavior towards
them and their family.[44][45]
The Iron Curtain in Europe was designed as a means
of preventing emigration. "It is one of the ironies of post-war
European history that, once the freedom to travel for
Europeans living under communist regimes, which had long
been demanded by the West, was finally granted in 1989/90,
travel was very soon afterwards made much more difficult
by the West itself, and new barriers were erected to replace
the Iron Curtain." —Anita Böcker[46]

The politics of immigration have become increasingly

associated with other issues, such as national
security and terrorism, especially in western Europe, with
the presence of Islam as a new major religion. Those with
security concerns cite the 2005 French riots and point to
the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy as
examples of the value conflicts arising from immigration
of Muslims in Western Europe. Because of all these
associations, immigration has become an emotional political
issue in many European nations.[47][48]
Studies have suggested that some special interest
groups lobby for less immigration for their own group and
more immigration for other groups since they see effects of
immigration, such as increased labor competition, as
detrimental when affecting their own group but beneficial
when impacting other groups. A 2010 European study
suggested that "employers are more likely to be pro-
immigration than employees, provided that immigrants are
thought to compete with employees who are already in the
country. Or else, when immigrants are thought to compete
with employers rather than employees, employers are more
likely to be anti-immigration than employees."[49] A 2011
study examining the voting of US representatives on
migration policy suggests that "representatives from more
skilled labor abundant districts are more likely to support
an open immigration policy towards the unskilled, whereas
the opposite is true for representatives from more unskilled
labor abundant districts."[50]

Another contributing factor may be lobbying by earlier

immigrants. The Chairman for the US Irish Lobby for
Immigration Reform—which lobby for more permissive
rules for immigrants, as well as special arrangements just
for Irish people—has stated that "the Irish Lobby will push
for any special arrangement it can get—'as will every other
ethnic group in the country.'"[51][52]

Immigrants are motivated to leave their former countries of

citizenship, or habitual residence, for a variety of reasons,
including a lack of local access to resources, a desire for
economic prosperity, to find or engage in paid work, to
better their standard of living, family
reunification, retirement, climate or environmentally
induced migration, exile, escape from prejudice, conflict or
natural disaster, or simply the wish to change one's quality
of life. Commuters, tourists and other short-term stays in a
destination country do not fall under the definition of
immigration or migration, seasonal labor immigration is
sometimes included.