International migrant stock
Topic: World Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Migration · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
International migrant stock is the total number of people living outside the country where they were born. It is a "stock" because it counts everyone living abroad at one point in time, not the number who moved in a single year. The IOM's World Migration Report 2024 put it at about 281 million in 2020, about 3.6 per cent of the world's people.
Example
India is the largest country of origin for international migrants (verify current). Many Indians live in the Gulf countries, such as the UAE, and they are part of this stock.
Don't confuse with
- Refugee: refugees are one small group within migrants. They have fled persecution. Most international migrants moved for work, study or family.
Related concepts
- Migration
- Immigration
- Emigration
- Push and pull factors
- Refugee
- Internally displaced person
- Climate migration