We explain what immigration is, its causes and differences with emigration. Furthermore, the countries with the most immigrants and emigrants.
What is immigration?
Immigration is a type of human displacement (that is, a type of migration) in which Individuals from another country or another region enter a given society. In other words, it is the arrival of migrants to a specific country, the opposite in that sense of emigration.
Immigration (and emigration, its other side) is a extremely common event in the history of humanity which has occurred since time immemorial, and although it may be a controversial event or generate discomfort among local citizens, in reality it is one of the most important sources of cultural, genetic and economic variation and diversity of civilization.
The immigrants They can leave their native land for various reasons but they generally contribute new elements to their destination: more or less qualified labor, new knowledge, enrich the destination culture, and even provide new genes. This type of migration can be permanent, or it can be temporary, when immigrants return to their initial territory after a while.
It is estimated that there are around 236,288,358 immigrants in the world (in 2015, according to World Population Index).
See also: External migration
Causes of immigration
The causes of immigration can be diverse, and among them we can list:
- Poor living conditions in the country of origin This may consist of economic, social or political crises, which subject people to poverty, violence or social confrontation, which would push many to seek new horizons to be able to send money to their relatives left behind.
- Wars or natural tragedies Humanitarian disasters, whether of natural or human origin, always generate waves of immigrants (refugees, displaced persons) who flee to neighboring countries.
- Personal opportunities There are also immigrants who pursue job, love or personal offers, and they are generally isolated and singular cases.
Immigration and emigration
Immigration and emigration are two sides of the same coin: migration. But if in the first case the migrants arrive from distant countries, in the second the migrants leave for distant countries. This, clearly, from the perspective of a country of origin, since immigrants from here are emigrants from there and vice versa.
Generally, both processes are understood in terms of a migratory balance: countries with more immigrants present a positive or favorable balance (not from a qualitative point of view, but quantitatively, that is, these migrants may or may not be more or less of a benefit to the country that receives them), while countries with high emigration rates present negative balances, as they “lose” citizens.
Countries with the most immigrants
Immigration occurs in all geographical and historical areas, generally from the most depressed societies to the most buoyant ones. It is estimated that the countries with the largest immigrant population (according to the 2015 census of the World Population Index) are:
- USA With 46,785,090 immigrants.
- Russia With 13,048,064 immigrants.
- Germany With 9,895,244 immigrants.
- Saudi Arabia With 9,360,433 immigrants.
- United Arab Emirates With 7,826,981 immigrants.
- United Kingdom With 7,804,131 immigrants.
- France With 7,439,086 immigrants.
Countries with the most emigrants
According to the International Migration Report (2015), the countries with the most emigrants are:
- India With 15.6 million emigrants.
- Mexico With 12.3 million emigrants.
- Russia With 10.6 million emigrants.
- China With 9.5 million emigrants.
- Bangladesh With 7.2 million emigrants.
- Pakistan With 5.9 million emigrants.
- Ukraine With 5.6 million emigrants.
Continue with: Types of migration
References
- “Immigration” on Wikipedia.
- “Countries by immigrant population” (Annex) in Wikipedia.
- “Immigration, causes and perspectives” by Vicente González Pérez in Nueva Revista.
- “What is migration? Immigration and emigration” (video) in Gtoledoedu.
- “Immigration” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
