NOTES
Data and points below are from the UN.
Methodology:Most of the data used to estimate the international migrant stock by country or area were obtained from population censuses.
In estimating the international migrant stock, international migrants have been equated with the foreign-born population whenever this information is available, which is the case in most countries or areas.
The coverage of refugees in population censuses is uneven. In countries where asylum seekers have been granted refugee status and allowed to integrate, they are normally covered by the population census as any other international migrant. In such cases, there is no reason to add the number of refugees to estimate the international migrant stock, because in these cases refugees would already be included in the census data.
However, in many countries, refugees lack freedom of movement and are required to reside in camps or other designated areas. In these cases, population censuses may ignore refugees.
Furthermore, when refugee flows occur rapidly in situations of conflict, it is uncommon for a population census to take place soon thereafter and to reflect the newly arrived refugee population.
Consequently, for many countries hosting large refugee populations, the refugee statistics reported by international agencies are the only source of information on persons who are recognized as refugees or find themselves in refugee-like situations.
Updated: 2025-03-30
q-migration.qmd