A report by the International Organization for Migration estimates that there are more international migrants worldwide than at any other time in human history. Currently the IOM estimates there are more than 150 million international migrants scattered around the world.
The IOM defines a migrant as a person who resides for an extended period in a foreign country. The 150 million migrants today represents an increase of more than 30 million people in just the last decade. The upswing in migration has been fueled by a number of factors including the collapses of the Soviet Union, an increase in civil wars, and the ongoing globalization and integration of the world economy.
The country that receives the most immigrants is the United States, with more than 1 million people immigrating to the U.S. legally every year and another estimated 300,000 people illegally settling in the country.
Women now make up almost half of all international migration, with an increasing number being professional women and primary wage earners rather than simply accompanying other members of their family in migrating.
Source:
Global migration Trends: An Era of International Migration. International Organization of Migration, November 2000.
Global migration reaches record high. The BBC, November 2, 2000.