The Year 2020 Record of Global Migrants

In 2020, the number of global migrants (resident in a country other than the country of birth) reached 272 million, a record number compared to 228 million in 2010, 179 million in 2000, 153 million in 1990, 100 million 1980 or the 80 million in 1970, indicating that global migration grew 340% in just 50 years.

Of the total for 2020, 193 million (71%) were between 18 and 60 years old, 46 million (17%) were migrant children under 18 years old and 33 million (12%) were people over 60 years old.

Today there is a great difference in the origin and destination of migrants, since 50 years ago (1970) they were mostly peasants, with little education, who arrived in countries with high economies, to work in the fields, in construction or services. domestic, on the other hand, the new migration is professional, with medium and high studies, this is due to the fact that current migrants not only seek to improve the family economy, but also education, health, security, sexual freedoms, politics and religious.

The distribution will surprise us since, in 2020, the first place of reception was Asia with 31%, the second Europe 30% and America is in third place with 26%, followed by Africa 10% and Oceania 3%, according to the Global Data Portal on Migration.

The Pandemic of COVID-19 (2020/2021) benefited qualified migrants, creating healthy competition from many countries, with more open market characteristics, on the other hand, the countries of origin try to maintain ties with their diasporas, offering economic opportunities to invest in the country that saw them born, on this subject, it is important to point out that in 2021 remittances reached a record of 700 billion dollars.

In a special section we must mention forced migration or refugees, who in 2020/2021 were mostly Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi citizens, to whom in 2022 we must add the Ukrainians.

We know that immigration generates tensions among natives, who are falsely concerned about employment, social policies or cultural identity, without understanding that immigrants balance the needs of age, education and economic integration of each country.