Indian workers gulf
[Representational Image]Reuters

With an estimated migrant population of 17.5 million, India is the top country of origin of international migration, according to a report released by the United Nations (UN).

Traditionally, major destinations of Indian origin migrants include the Gulf, the United States and Europe. Presently, India is one of the major suppliers of workers across the world, especially to the Gulf countries that mainly rely on Indian workforce.

Global migration surged 23 per cent or 51 million in the nine-year period between 2010 and 2019, taking the total number of migrants to an estimated 272 million, constituting 3.5 per cent of world population, the International Migrant Stock 2019 report said. The global share of migrant population was just 2.8 per cent in 2000.

In fact, migrants from the top ten countries constitute one-third of the total international migrant population, the report said.

India is followed by Mexico with 11.8 million diaspora population, China with 10.7 million, Russia with 10.5 million, Syria with 8.2 million, Bangladesh with 7.8 million and Pakistan with 6.3 million.

"These data are critical for understanding the important role of migrants and migration in the development of both countries of origin and destination," Liu Zhenmin, UN under-secretary-general for Economic and Social Affairs was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. He added that orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people were important in fostering sustainable development.

Major Reasons

The major reasons for migration range from better economic opportunities and standard of living to better education facilities.

The report, prepared after obtaining migration data on migration from different countries, said Europe and North America are home to 82 million and 59 million diasporas, respectively, and these regions were followed by northern Africa and West Asia.

Among the destination countries, a country-specific analysis shows that half of the global migrants live in ten countries, with the top country United States hosting 19 per cent or 51 million of total migrants. Germany and Saudi Arabi each hosted 13 million migrant population.

These countries were followed by Russia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, France, Canada, Australia and Italy.