The term immigration was coined in the 17th century, referring to non-warlike population movements between emerging nation-states.
When people cross national borders during their migration, they are called migrants or immigrants (from Latin: migrare, ‘wanderer’) from the perspective of the destination country. In contrast, from the perspective of the country from which they leave, they are called emigrants or outmigrants.
As of 2015, the number of international migrants has reached 244 million worldwide, which reflects a 41% increase since 2000. One-third of the world’s international migrants are living in just 20 countries. The largest number of international migrants lives in the United States, with 19% of the world’s total.
Germany and Russia host 12 million migrants each, taking second and third place as countries with the most migrants worldwide. Saudi Arabia hosts 10 million migrants, followed by the United Kingdom (9 million) and the United Arab Emirates (8 million).
In most parts of the world, migration occurs between countries that are located within the same major area. Between 2000 and 2015, Asia added more international migrants than any other major area in the world, gaining 26 million. Europe added the second largest with about 20 million.
In 2015, the number of international migrants below the age of 20 reached 37 million, while 177 million are between the ages of 20 and 64. International migrants living in Africa were the youngest, with a median age of 29, followed by Asia (35 years), and Latin America/Caribbean (36 years), while migrants were older in Northern America (42 years), Europe (43 years), and Oceania (44 years).
Nearly half (43%) of all international migrants originate in Asia, and Europe was the birthplace of the second largest number of migrants (25%), followed by Latin America (15%). India has the largest diaspora in the world (16 million people), followed by Mexico (12 million) and Russia (11 million)
Jobs under Ghana Immigration Service
- Civil engineering technician
- Psychologist/counsellor