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Factors Driving Migration
Population pressures in Developed Countries:
“The UN predicts that the worlds population will increase from just over 6 billion in 2000 to 8.9 billion by 2050. During the same period, however, the population of the 27 countries that should be members of the EU by 2007 is predicted to fall by 6%, from 482m to 454m. For countries with particularly low fertility rates, the decline is dramatic.”
(Source: The Economist Europes population implosion Jul 17th 2003)
Europes Population Aging Will Accelerate, Says Data Sheet
Europe—which already has 19 of the world's 20 oldest countries in terms of population age—will see its populations continue to age to unprecedented levels over the next 25 years, causing strains in health care, employment, and retirement. (June 2006)
The Battle Over Unauthorized Immigration to the United States
Will the United States continue to absorb between 500,000 and 1 million Latin American workers a year? And will new immigrant workers be unauthorized, legal guest workers, or foreigners on the path to American citizenship? Philip Martin reviews the latest U.S. House and Senate proposals to address these issues. (April 2006)
Hispanics Account for Almost One-Half of U.S. Population Growth
While the population pyramid for white non-Hispanics in the United States resembles those of European countries, the relative youth of the U.S. Hispanic population means that it will supply much of the U.S. population growth for decades to come. (February 2006)
Tables and graphs:
Conflict & Environmental Disasters
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A large number of international migrants have been forced to leave their home countries and seek refuge in other nations. Many leave because of persecution, human rights violations, repression or conflict. In other cases, migrants are forced to move by environmental degradation and natural and human-made disasters that make their homes inhabitable for at least some period. |
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| Refugees have a special status in international law. A refugee is defined by the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees as “a person who, owing to well‑founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country." Refugee status has been applied more broadly, however, to include others persons who are outside their country of origin because of armed conflict, generalised violence, foreign aggression or other circumstances which have seriously disturbed public order, and who, therefore, require international protection. |
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Environmental degradation and natural disasters uproot another type of forced migrant. Unlike the refugees described above, environmental migrants do not need protection from persecution or violence, but like refugees, they are unable to return to now uninhabitable communities. Most environmental migrants move internally, some relocating temporarily until they are able to rebuild their homes and others seeking permanent new homes. Some environmental migrants, however, cross national boundaries.
The specific environmental factors that precipitate movements vary. Mass migration may result from such natural phenomena as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding, hurricanes and other events that destroy housing, disrupt agriculture, and otherwise make it difficult for inhabitants to stay within their communities, particularly until reconstruction is completed. For example, periodic floods in Bangladesh have uprooted hundreds of thousands of persons.
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Manmade disasters also precipitate mass movements. Large-scale industrial and nuclear accidents, such as those that occurred in Bophal and Chernobyl, can displace thousands of people within a very short period. Other manmade environmental problems lead to more gradual movements. Global warming, acid rain, pollution of rivers, depletion of resources, soil erosion and desertification all hold the potential to uproot millions of people who can no longer reside or earn a living in their home communities. While some of this environmental degradation may be reversible, the most severe problems will require sustained attention and significant resources for reclamation. In the meantime, both internal and international migration can be expected.
Forced Migration Online Forced Migration Online (FMO) provides access to a wide variety of online resources dealing with the situation of forced migrants worldwide.
The Plight of Internally Displaced Persons More than 25 million people in some 40 countries have been forcibly displaced within their own countries by violent conflict or environmental disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes. But these populations are often neglected by the international community and victimized by their own governments. (October 2005)
Table 1: Number of Internally Displaced Persons in Select Countries
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Country |
Number of IDPs |
Estimate date |
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Afghanistan |
200,000 |
June 2005 |
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Angola |
91,000 |
Aug. 2005 |
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Azerbaijan |
575,000 |
Jan. 2004 |
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Democratic Republic of Congo |
2,170,000 |
June 2005 |
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Indonesia (Aceh Province) |
533,000 |
Dec. 2004 |
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Iraq |
1,000,000 |
Nov. 2004 |
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Lebanon |
600,000 |
Feb. 2005 |
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Peru |
60,000 |
June 2004 |
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Commonwealth of Independent States |
339,000 |
Dec. 2004 |
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Sri Lanka |
800,000 |
June 2005 |
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Sudan |
6,000,000 |
March 2005 |
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United States |
1,000,000 |
Sept. 2005 |
(Source: http://www.prb.org)
The Demographics of the South Asia Earthquake Approximately 450 major earthquakes (those that have killed 10 or more people or injured 100 or more) have struck Asia since 1901—more than have hit any other continent. Between May 1901 and June 2005, the average earthquake in Asia killed 2,913 and left 135,652 in immediate need of emergency food, water, shelter, sanitation, or medical assistance (see Table 2).
Table 2: Numbers and Effects of Earthquakes from 1901 to 2005, by Continent*
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|
No. of quakes |
Total killed |
Average
killed/quake |
Total
affected** |
Average affected/quake |
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Africa |
64 |
21,027 |
329 |
1,6748,860 |
25,763 |
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Americas |
229 |
195,749 |
855 |
24,782,195 |
108,219 |
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Asia |
447 |
1,302,189 |
2,913 |
60,636,561 |
135,652 |
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Europe |
215 |
346,801 |
1,613 |
10,674,311 |
49,648 |
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Oceania |
38 |
439 |
12 |
88,161 |
2,320 |
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Total |
993 |
1,866,205 |
1,879 |
97,830,088 |
98,520 |
*Based on data for earthquakes that occurred from May 1901 to June 2005. Database includes earthquakes in which at least one of the following criteria was met: 10 or more people were reported killed, at least 100 people were reported affected, a call for international assistance was made, or a state of emergency was declared.
**Number affected includes people requiring immediate help with basic survival needs such as food, water, shelter, sanitation or immediate medical help.
(Source: http://www.prb.org)
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