In 2024, the number of international migrants worldwide was 304 million, a figure that has almost doubled since 1990, when there were an estimated 154 million international migrants. According to UN-DESA, migrants accounted for 3.7 percent of the world's population in 2024 (1990: 2.9 percent).
To identify who is an international migrant, either a person’s country of birth or country of citizenship is used. When data on country of birth are available, they are given precedence because such data reflect a change in the country of residence more accurately than do data on country of citizenship. While data on country or area of birth are the preferred source to inform estimates in the International Migrant Stock, data on country of citizenship are used when data on country or area of birth are not available.
Last updated: May 7, 2025. Source: UN-DESA (International Migrant Stock).