UNITED NATIONS – India has topped the list of people living abroad at 1.7 crore (17 million) with about 50 lakh Indians residing in the Gulf region alone, according to a new UN report.
Mexico, Russia, China, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan and Ukraine also have large migrant populations living abroad, ranging from 60 lakh to 1.1 crore each, according to the 2017 International Migration Report released here.
In 2017, India was the largest country of origin of international migrants at 1.7 crore, followed by Mexico at 1.3 crore. Other countries of origin with large migrant populations include Russia at 1.1 crore, China at 1 crore, Bangladesh at 70 lakh, Syria at 70 lakh and Pakistan and Ukraine at 60 lakh each.
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The migrants from India now reside in multiple destination countries, including the UAE at 30 lakh, and the US and Saudi Arabia at 20 lakh each, the report said. There are now an estimated 25.8 crore people living in a country other than their country of birth — an increase of 49 per cent since 2000, it added.
International migration is a critical concern for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it said. The report shows international migration is key contributor to population growth in many parts of the world and even reverses population decline in some countries or areas. Between 2000 and 2015, migration contributed 42 per cent of the population growth in North America and 31 per cent in Oceania. In Europe, the size of the total population would have declined during this period in the absence of migration.
